


Captain Tano

by TabbyWolf



Category: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Attempt at Humor, Contains non-graphic nudity, F/M, Fake Dating, Fake Relationship, First Kiss, Fix It Fic, Fluff, Force Sensitive Clone, I want you to guess, I’m not telling you which one, Minor trigger warnings in the notes for chapters, Mutual Pining, Palpatine gets what he deserves, Please tell me if there’s a potential trigger that I forgot to tag, Realization of Feelings, Rex and Ahsoka make fun of Anakin for not liking sand, Sharing a Bed, alcohol consumption, anakin is too supportive, cody is supportive, i forgot to update the tags, mostly Fives tho, obitine in later chapters, rex has too many teasing brothers, some angst though, still a bit unsure if I should put the rating up to M, this is basically a low M by US standards but a very normal T by EU standards
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-29
Updated: 2020-05-30
Packaged: 2020-06-01 05:25:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 49
Words: 94,044
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19407973
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TabbyWolf/pseuds/TabbyWolf
Summary: Fives changes Rex’s last name to Tano to tease his brother about his feelings for their Commander. Rex denies everything to everyone, including himself. No one listens. Eventually he and Ahsoka realize their only option is fake dating until everyone is tired of their way too sappy relationship. Of course, it doesn’t stay with fake datingAlso they find out about the inhibitor chips early and end the clone wars in a more positive wayThis is a really weird mix between an attempt at humor and a serious fix it. With a hint of crack/shitpost-like stuff. I’ll upload weekly (on Saturday) if I have the new chapter ready to go.Rating lowered from M to T because I realized most of it could work as T and I want to write the M rates part as a separate fic for those interested.





	1. The Medbay

**Author's Note:**

> Starts during an unspecified mission, shortly before Ahsoka switches outfits. She’s 15, almost 16 here in case that’s relevant

Ahsoka woke up to bright lights, the side of her head is throbbing and her vision is blurred. She saw two faces, clones judging by the skin color. But she couldn’t tell who they were. Only that they both had their hair so short she couldn’t see it.

“Commander, are you okay?” One of them asked.

Ahsoka groaned. “Can you turn off the light? It hurts.”

One of the blurry faces disappeared and the lights went out. It wasn’t completely dark, but the bright lights shining directly in her eyes were gone.

“Where am I?” She asked, “and who are you?”

Rex shot Kix a panicked look. She didn’t recognize them? Kix didn’t seem phased at all.

“Commander,” Kix says calmly, “do you recognize us at all?”

She squinted at both clones. “I can tell that you’re both clones, but my vision is blurry. I can’t tell you apart and I’d appreciate it if you could keep your voice down. My head hurts” she rubbed the bruise on her back lekku, just underneath her montrals. It’s a big one.

Kix sighs. “I’m Kix and this is Rex. You’re in the medbay of the Resolute. Do you remember how you ended up here?”

“I remember being on Felucia. Skyguy wasn’t with us so I lead the mission. We won, packed up our things and then we went back into the gunships. That’s the last I remember. I don’t know what happened after that”

Kix sighed. “Hardcase decided he should blow up some droids, even though they were already disabled. You got hit in the back of the head with the head of a B1. You got a concussion, Sir. He’s scrubbing the toilets for a month now. You should get some rest. I’ll get some painkillers”.

Kix rummaged through his drawers and pulled out some pills. “I got you these” he gave her two red pills. Perfect, those were the ones that just lowered inhibition and made her a bit foggy, but that was better than nausea. She usually had a bad reaction to the stuff the men usually got, since that medicine was made for humans. 

Kix ordered Rex to watch over her so she “wouldn’t do anything General Skywalker would do” and moved on to look at Fives, who had his arm and leg injured in the same explosion.

* * *

It was late now and Rex just sat there. His commander was still meditating after five hours. Or she fell asleep. Probably the latter. Rex looked at her face. Her eyes were closed peacefully, which was a relief. Rex wanted to touch her, but he knew he shouldn’t. But Kix told him to watch her. And checking for a fever was an important part of that, right? Maybe he was just making excuses, but he put his hand on her forehead, and traced her markings a bit. He went a bit higher, to the part of her head that was usually covered by her headdress. He rarely saw her without it. He felt the end of her forehead. What are montrals even made off? He wasn’t sure if he could touch them. Would that be inappropriate?

She sat up and looked straight into his eyes with a startled expression “Rex, what are you doing?”

He jerked his hand away. “Nothing Sir. Just checking your temperature.”

She raised an eye marking at him, so he elaborated “I was worried about you, Sir. So I checked you temperature, but the I got curious how your montrals felt. I’m sorry Sir, I shouldn’t have done that without asking” he looked down at his feet, awaiting her reaction.

Ahsoka visibly relaxed. “It’s okay, you can touch them. Please don’t be too careful with them. Light touches are annoying. You don’t have to push on them, just don’t ghost your fingers over them. That makes it feel weird and I can hear it ”

Relieved, he reached up and touched her right montral. It felt cold and a little bony, but the skin was soft and smooth. He noticed that the stripes became slightly darker at his touch.

“Is it okay if I touch your ears?” Ashoka asked “I’m curious too”

Rex nodded. She reached for his ears and she started feeling them curiously.

“Can I feel your hair too?” she asked, her lekku still dark.

“Of course, sir” he replied without hesitation.

She moved her right hand up his scalp, feeling the short blonde hairs. She held his gaze for a moment. Suddenly he felt drawn to her, in a way he couldn’t explain. If this was a Jedi mindtrick he didn’t want to resist.

“Captain, this is very cute and all, but please only let her touch the hair on your head. I don’t want to see her touch your other hair” and just like that, Fives had ruined the moment. 

“What do you mean with other hair?” Ahsoka asked, looking at Fives.

She could literally feel Rex getting warmer as he let go of her montrals, though she couldn’t tell if he was blushing or red with anger. Probably both.

“You know, down there” Fives said, winking at her.

She raised and eye marking at him and let go of Rex’s head. “What are you talking about?”

Fives just stared at her for a couple seconds. “Armpit hair” Rex quickly interrupted, his face still red, now definitely from embarrassment.

Fives snorted “Yeah, Rex really want you to stick your hands into his sweaty armpits.”

Rex opened his mouth but before he could protest he noticed Kix had walked in again.

“What’s going on?” The medic asked. He didn’t look happy at all. Kix was usually very calm and gentle with his patients, but he didn’t react well if they didn’t take care of themselves. Or if someone was bothering them.

Rex was the first who spoke “Fives is being annoying”.

Kix looked at Fives. “Rex is just salty I ruined his romantic armpit fondling” the ARC replied.

Kix raised an eyebrow but decided that he wasn’t even going to give Fives the satisfaction of responding to that. “Just go to sleep, all of you. That’s an order” he said while walking out the med bay.

Rex shrugged. “I guess I’m staying here tonight”

“Yeah I guess. Just keep it quiet, I want to sleep” Fives said.

Rex mentally rolled his eyes at that, but didn’t say anything. The commander too dazed to catch on to what Fives was implying, and he didn’t want her to realize what Fives was joking about. So he just sat down in the chair besides Ahsoka’s cot and went to sleep


	2. The Stay

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rex and Ahsoka talk about belly buttons, Fives misinterprets it like more than just curiosity and starts the rumor mill on both of them

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! This chapter is a bit earlier than than expected because people really seemed to like the first one. I can’t update early all the time because I beta my own fics and I try to keep two chapters ready to go so I won’t fall behind if I have a bad week. But I hope you guys enjoy this one as well

Rex woke up in the chair next to Ahsoka’s bed. She was still asleep, on her right side. The bruise on her lekku was facing upwards and it looked much worse now, but he knew bruises were supposed to look worse after a day or so. Still, it was the size of his hand now and a darker blue than her chevrons.

He looked at the clock. 6:30, the usual time. Kix was probably waking up as well. Knowing the medic, he was sleeping in his office like he used I’d when he had difficult patients. The clones always woke up at the same time if they were off duty. Why, he didn’t know. He supposed it was a force of habit. Fives was still out, which probably meant that he was still injured. Healthy clones always got up at 6:30. 

He stood up, stretched to rid his back of the post-sleeping-in-full-armor-on-a-plastoid-chair pain and walked to the door of the medbay. It was great to just be able to walk out of there, since he wasn’t technically supposed to be there.

Behind him, he heard Kix open the door of his room. “Morning, Captain, did you sleep well?” The medic asked.

Rex nodded and looked back to Ahsoka, who was still asleep. “How long is she going to have to stay?” He asked.

Kix sighed. “Honestly, I don’t know. Her worst injury is a concussion, and I suspect it will be three weeks until she’s all better. She would technically be able to leave after two days, but knowing her she’d re-injure herself since she won’t rest if I let her go. She needs a lot of rest so I’ll probably keep her here for most of those three weeks. She’ll be allowed out after one but she’s sleeping here. Though she should get plenty of visitors to keep her from getting bored in the first week”

“Good idea Kix, wouldn’t want Commander Tano to get bored” Rex joked, but Kix visibly shuddered at the idea of a bored Commander Tano wreaking havoc on his clean and orderly medbay. Rex took one last look at the sleeping togruta before saying goodbye to Kix and walking towards the mess hall for breakfast to get breakfast for himself and Ahsoka.

* * *

When Rex returned to the medbay, Ahsoka was awake too and sat on the cot in her regular tube top and skirt, though minus the leggings, getting her morning checkup from Kix. She usually wore her normal clothes in the medbay. General Skywalker always forgot to order hospital gowns for her, and the blacks the clones always wore didn’t fit her. Well, they did. They were a bit on the big side but she could wear them if she was cold and needed the extra layer. But they wouldn’t fit properly, which made the sensors in them go haywire. And the medics really didn’t like getting alerts that she was flatlining every time the ECG sensor lost contact with her skin. 

Her outfit looked weirdly different without the leggings, but it looked good on her despite the alarm bells in his head going off about how unprotected she was. He watched as Kix ran his hands over her legs to feel for injuries. Her legs had gotten a lot stronger, but they somehow looked softer than before. Part of him wished he could take over the examination and be the one who ran his hands across her legs to see how they felt, just out of curiosity. 

Before he could dwell on that thought, his commander noticed him so he held up one of the plates in his hands to signal that he got them breakfast. Kix was finished with the examination.

“You’re gonna be fine Commander, but you’ll need a lot of rest. Your brain took quite a beating and you’re at a serious risk of making your concussion worse if you go back to your day to day life. I’m keeping you in the medbay for three weeks”

“Three weeks?” She exclaimed.

“You’ll be allowed outside for **light** activities after one day, but you’re sleeping here for three weeks. I have to keep an eye on you, Sir.” The medic said. Commander Tano crossed her arms with an angry look on her face that reminded him of General Skywalker.

“Don’t worry sir,” Rex said, “I’ll make sure you’re not bored.”

Kix stood up, nodded to Rex and moved on to Fives. “Alright, time to change your bandages” he said while grabbing Fives’ cot to push him away.

“Are we going to give the lovebirds some privacy?” Fives said, smirking.

“What are you talking about?” Kix asked, “I need to change the bandages on your arm and the other ones, and I can’t do that with Commander Tano here” and he rolled a snickering Fives out of the room.

Ahsoka looked at Rex, who shrugged and handed her her breakfast before sitting down in the chair next to her bed again.

They ate together for a few moments before Ahsoka broke the silence. “What injury does Fives have that’s so severe that Kix thinks I can’t handle it?”

Rex didn’t really want to talk about it, but he saw the worried look his Commander gave him and decided to oblige, even if it would be awkward. “Fives got hit with shrapnel, right between his codpiece and thigh plate. It’s not particularly bad, but there’s no way to bandage that up without exposing certain other parts. And both of them would both be court martialed for indecent exposure.”

To his surprise, Ahsoka laughed at that. He raised his eyebrow, to which she replied “I’m sorry, you just looked so uncomfortable and that was kinda funny. I’m not laughing at Fives’ injury, I promise.”

He relaxed a bit at that. “Well, if you really want to hear it I have another embarrassing story I can tell you to keep you entertained. Just don’t tell Skywalker or Jesse that I told you this” he winked at her and notice her lekku turned darker for just a second before she nodded enthusiastically, and cringed as her head started to hurt again.

“If it’s not too much trouble” she said as she lied down, obviously feeling a lot worse now that her headache had flared up.

“Okay, this happened two months after the start of the war. We were all a bit shiny, but Jesse was literally just a week off Kamino. During his first mission, he was shot in the leg. It was nothing major and he’d be fine, but it’d hurt for a good week. He was released from the medbay because the medbay was full, but he had to be in a power chair because he couldn’t stand yet. Everything went fine until he decided that he had to take a leak before bed. We all learned basic manners, so he did what any decent man would do and put the toilet seat up before peeing. And then he moved himself onto the toilet, and fell in. To make everything worse, he was still too injured to climb out and we couldn’t hear him call for help, so he was forced to sleep like that. I found him the next morning, asleep in the toilet.”

Ahsoka was laughing when he finished his story. He was glad he managed to cheer her up. When she finally stopped laughing, she asked “did I ever tell you about that time Anakin got his face bitten by a tooka?”

* * *

They had already swapped several stories when Ahsoka noticed the time. 11:38. He’d been there for so much longer than they’d realized.

“Rex, I think it’s time for you to go. I should probably nap soon, and you probably have other things to do”

Rex checked his wristcomm. “I might as well bring you lunch, it’s almost noon”

She smiled at him “actually, if it’s not too much trouble-“

“it isn’t, Commander. But lunch won’t be served until noon. Is it okay if I stay here until then?” He smiled at her. Force, his smile was cute.

“Sure, though I can’t think of anything to tell you anymore” she told him. He rubbed the back of his head, the movement exposing the large gap in his armor underneath his arm.

“Actually Commander, I had something I wanted to ask you about. If you’re willing to tell the story, that is.”

“Ask away” she said with a smile.

“What’s the story behind the scar on your stomach?”

She raised an eyebrow marking at him. “Which scar?”

Rex just pointed at her stomach. She looked at her stomach, but couldn’t see what he was pointing at.

When he saw the confused look on her face, he moved closer, now almost touching the “scar” and she realized what he was pointing at.

“That’s not a scar, that’s my belly button,” she said in a confused tone, “everyone has one of those.”

“I don’t” Rex said bluntly.

She raised an eye marking at him and said “prove it”

Rex nodded and started taking off his armor piece by piece. When it was time to unzip the blacks, she realized she’d been staring at him, but he didn’t seen to mind. As he opened his zipper, she kinda froze. How was she supposed to react? She should’ve thought this through before she basically dared him to take off his armor. Her eyes followed his hands as he opened the zipper and took off the top half of his blacks, revealing his upper body.

Like he’d said, he didn’t have a belly button at all. But somehow, the rest of his upper body was drawing way more attention than his missing belly button. He wasn’t even overly muscular like you’d see in a magazine, but something drew her to him.

In fact, he looked quite soft, even though she could still see the outline of the larger muscles. She felt her lekku flush as she wondered what he would feel like if she touched his bare chest.

* * *

Rex just stood there as she gazed at him, trying to figure out what the weird feeling he had in his stomach was. He wasn’t uncomfortable with her looking at him like that, he’d been looked at plenty of times.

It wasn’t the way she looked at him either. In fact, this was much better than the way the Kaminoans looked at him. Perhaps it was the situation? He was showing her something that was weird apparently.

But she didn’t seem weirded out. It almost felt like the anticipation he felt just before a battle. But what was he anticipating?

Just as he was trying to find something to break the silence, he heard a sliding door open and before he could properly react, he heard a familiar voice.

“Guess who just took a some painkillers and a nap and can now leave the-“ Fives fell silent when he saw both of them.

He looked Rex straight into the eyes and said “What are you doing with our Commander?”

Ahsoka’s lekku turned darker for some reason. “We’re just talking, as you can see” He replied calmly.

Fives smirked “sure... what kind of conversation would require you to be shirtless though?”

Rex was about to answer when Kix showed up with a “what’s all this commotion about” face.

Ahsoka spoke up before he got the chance. “Rex said he didn’t have a belly button, and I didn’t believe him.”

Fives raised his eyebrow at that, but Kix sighed. “Yeah, the Kaminoans cut the umbilical cord off at the skin instead of just letting it fall off on its own. And then they put in the chips and do some other surgeries, like a vasectomy and appendectomy just in case. And then we're put in bacta tanks to prevent scarring”

Ahsoka was glad Kix managed to steer the discussion away from Fives’ accusations, so she decided to take it even further. “Chips? What chips?” She asked.

“Identification chips and some health monitoring chips. You can actually feel the identification chip right here” Rex said as he offered her his wrist.

She felt his lower arm curiously, pressing on the small lump softly.

“They can also be used to track a clone down if you know his designation and have the authorization codes. You should be able to get them, being a commander” Rex said.

“What he’s trying to say is: please track me down when I’m lonely at night” Fives added with his usual smirk.

Before either Rex or Ahsoka could react, Kix was pushing Fives towards the door. “That’s enough, you’re bothering my patient” he said as he put his boot on Fives’s back and literally kicked him out of the medbay, “And you,” he said, stalking over to Rex, grabbing his armor and shoving it in his hands, “are also keeping my patient awake.”

Kix glared at Rex before gently pushing Ahsoka down on the cot and tucking her in. Rex walked towards the door, before turning around to catch her looking at his back.

“Sleep well, Commander” he said as Kix fluffed up her pillow and put some heat packs rolled in towels under het blanket. He smiled. The Commander usually fell asleep quickly if she was kept warm enough and Kix knew that. She wouldn’t need lunch anymore. Not that he’d have a chance of bringing it to her before she woke up naturally with Kix angry at him anyway.

* * *

The rest of the day was fairly boring since Rex had way more paperwork than usual because he did Commander Tano’s as well. When Rex got his dinner in the mess he was immediately waved over by Jesse, Fives, Echo and Hardcase.

“How’s your girlfriend?” Hardcase asked with his signature grin.

“I don’t have a girlfriend, you know that,” Rex answered, “and I don’t know where you got the idea.”

Echo just said “Fives said you had a girlfriend” with a shrug.

Jesse’s face lit up. “I know you’re just saying that because you don’t want to get in trouble. What’s she like? Is she good in bed? This was your first time, right? Details vod.”

Fives was snickering loudly.

Rex sighed “I was visiting Commander Tano in the medbay. I asked her about the scar on her stomach. It turns out that it’s from the umbilical cord, and that all nats have scars like that. They don’t get treated with bacta after they’re born. She asked me to take of my armor to make sure I wasn’t messing with her when I told her I didn’t have a belly button. Fives was being immature about it and now he’s doing all the paperwork.” Fives started choking on his water. Hopefully, a few weeks of administrative duty would teach him not to spread false rumors.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading <3 kudos and comments are very much appreciated


	3. The Name

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fives changes Rex’s name in this chapter. Anakin also finds out. And I’m introducing my OC here

Fives was working in the barracks office by himself. It was a boring, small room that technically belonged to the clone commander of the 501st, but that had fallen into Rex’s hands because of the Generals “ranking system” that had promoted Rex to Marshal Commander in everything except the actual rank.

The battalion was fine though, except on paper. Which just made him despise paperwork even more. It was always a hassle and he never got it right. He wasn’t like Echo at all, he had t even read the reg manual in its entirety. He wished he had a superior officer to talk to, because these reports were confusing as hell.

As if on command, the comm on Rex’s desk went off. Without thinking, Fives answered the call and a small hologram of General Skywalker appeared. Fives immediately stood at attention, dropping the holoprojector and catching it upside down before it hit the ground.

“Fives? What are you doing there? Where is Rex?” The small, upside down hologram of General Skywalker said.

Fives flipped the holoprojector right side up and answered “doing something more fun than this, sir”

The General raised an eyebrow at him, so he elaborated “Rex gave me administrative duty as punishment”

“Well, that explains why the reports don’t look like Rex wrote them. What did you do?”

A part of him knew he might get his CO’s in trouble if he was honest and told the General his suspicions, but he had a gut feeling that he should tell him anyway. “I confronted him about the way he acts around Commander Tano. I suspect that he wants to be more then friends. I have no hard proof, but he seems more nervous around her and gets really defensive if I joke about it. She doesn’t seem to mind and spends a lot of time with him, so the feeling might be mutual. Rex denied being more than friends, but that’s exactly what he’d do if he was more than friends with her”

His General frowned, not good. Had he made a mistake? “Are they happy?” General Skywalker asked.

“Relatively, considering the situation.” He could somehow feel General Skywalker getting upset, and knew he had to elaborate immediately. “I was referring to her being in the medbay. She had a pretty bad concussion after all, and she was just told she had to stay in the medbay for three weeks. And Rex doesn’t like seeing her unhappy. He managed to cheer her up a bit though.”

Fives hoped he hadn’t just gotten his CO’s in trouble, but his General seemed to calm down. “I’m glad to hear that. They’d make a great couple. I support them, but don’t tell Obi-Wan. Or the counsel. They’re kinda against attachments” he rolled his eyes at that. “Can I trust you to find out more about if they’re actually together, or if they’re interested? I’m gonna be gone for an extra week now. I have a surprise for you guys,” he winked at Fives, “Don’t tell the men about that though”

Fives nodded and made a note that General Skywalker would be back in two weeks instead of one. It happened to be the same day that Commander Tano would be released from the medbay.

He and General Skywalker talked some more. Apparently the General just wanted to know how the men are doing while he was on a solo mission and they were recovering from various injuries. He asked about how he should do the paperwork and basically got told that his General didn’t really have high standards for it anyway, but that he should make sure the resupply didn’t end up with incorrect numbers. That sounded doable. 

After they were done discussing the practical matters, General Skywalker got back to his padawan alleged affair with his captain. “Do anything you can to find out the truth about this, Fives. I don’t want to act on wrong assumptions here. Can I count on you?”

“Yes sir”

“Good. Skywalker out” and he ended the call.

Fives thought about how he was going to get Rex to talk about the subject. He opened the captain's file, hoping to find something that could help him when he realized there was an empty field for a last name. Perfect.

* * *

Echo was in the mess with CT-2536, one of the new recruits. Well, technically he was a transfer from the 212th, but he was still a shiny. ‘36 was a nice guy, but he was incredibly nervous around most of the 501st. Poor vod’ika had lost his entire batch. Not in battle, in a sim that malfunctioned. They had all been quite young, six or seven in regular years, the age at which they’d start the more dangerous sims. He had been placed in a different batch which only had one missing member, so he didn’t fit in with the group. That’s why this shiny was never named by his new “brothers”. They all got assigned to the 212th, but his new brothers had forgotten to tell him when they’d be deployed for the first time so he missed what was supposed to be his first battle. After that, General Kenobi had asked for him to be put under Echo’s care, in the same way Echo had been Rex’s vod’ika. He was still very nervous around most of the battalion. The shiny had warmed up to Echo though. Echo was calmer than his brothers and his habit of obeying the regs was familiar to 2536, who had always been strict about the regs to get approval from the longnecks.

“I don’t think the other troopers like me” 2536 said, frowning.

“Why do you think that?” Echo asked.

“They avoid me”

Echo put his hand on his vod’ika’s shoulder. He wasn’t really good with emotional support, but he’d try. “They don’t dislike you, vod. They just notice that you’re nervous and try to give you space”

‘36 just remained quiet and ate his food. Echo decided he needed to push the shiny towards other clones as well, so he could make more friends. He briefly considered introducing him to Commander Tano, but decided to wait with that until his brother wasn’t as jumpy.

Rex would be a good choice, their Captain was usually calm and while he did break regs frequently, he rarely did so without reason or in a way that would startle his little brother (at least, not off duty. Rex could be quite dramatic during active combat).

Echo opened his data pad to look for an excuse to send his brother to Rex, and the first place he decided to look was the list of duties in the Captain’s file.

Which now had his name listed as Rex Tano for some reason? That was odd. He knew Fives suspected the two of them were a couple, but he had never really believed his brother. He’d have to have a talk with his Captain somewhere private. The showers seemed like a good option. There were no cams there, General Skywalker had removed them to prevent Ahsoka from stumbling across footage of the clones showering and/or “polishing their blasters”. And maybe he could shoot two droids with one blasterbolt by asking his new vod’ika to get Rex for him.

* * *

Rex was working out in the gym as usual when a very nervous shiny showed up. 

“Captain, sir. I was send here by ARC trooper Echo to inform you that he wishes to speak with you, sir.”

“Thanks, trooper..?”

“Designation CT-2536, sir.”

Rex didn’t push any further. He had heard there was a nameless shiny in the 501st that was nervous around almost everyone, and this must be him.

“Okay, nice to meet you 2536. Where is Echo?”

“In the showers, sir.”

“Ah, thank you for informing me trooper. You did well. Dismissed.” He said with an approving smile.

The shiny saluted Rex and marched off a bit too quickly. Rex didn’t dwell on it and walked in the direction of the showers.

Echo wanting to meet him in the showers was odd. Usually “meet me in the showers” meant “I want to talk about something that goes against regulations” since the showers were free of security cams, and Echo wasn’t exactly known as a reg breaker

When Rex arrived in the showers, Echo was already waiting for him, leaning against the wall and not looking particularly happy.

“Good morning Rex. Or should I say Captain Tano?”

Rex sighed. Not this again. “Did you call me here just so you could repeat Fives’ jokes or did you actually have something important to say?”

Echo’s face relaxed a little. “So you’re not doing anything with the commander that you shouldn’t be doing?”

“No, but Fives seems to think it’s funny to tell people we’re a couple”

Echo sighed. “That’s a relief. I was worried. Not that I think you’d hurt her, but it might get her kicked out of the order or get you skewered on the General’s lightsaber. I’ll talk to him”

Rex nodded. “You should. He should be doing on administrative duty right now, I gave him four weeks of it for these stupid jokes.”

Echo nodded and said “That explains why you have the Commander’s last name in your official file then”

“What?” Rex was furious. “That’s it, I’m going to change my name back, and he’s cleaning the floors as well”

“Keep me out of it” Echo said, putting his hands up defensively. He really didn’t want to be responsible for his ori’vods punishment.

“Of course, thanks for informing me about this before more people saw it” 

Rex answered, as he pulled out his data pad and logged in with his ident chip. He tried to delete the last name, but he got an error. “Names can’t be altered more than once every year.” Great. Now he was stuck with it. He just put “Fives changed my name, he’s an idiot” in the notes and prayed to the force or whatever’s put there that people would read that note.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed the fic :) and thank you all so much for the kudos and comments so far


	4. The Cure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anakin decides that he’s going to turn off the accelerated aging and Fives talks about his nightmares with Anakin

Anakin Skywalker was standing in front of the glass door to the landing pad of Tipoca City with a small device in his hand as several clones prepped the Twilight for take off in the pouring rain. He’d honestly have preferred to do it himself, but the Kaminoans insisted that he’d let the clones do it for him and he knew they’d interpret his refusal as distrust in the clones instead of caring. He also had to lie a bout his intentions for the device he was holding, but he had obtained it and that was the important part.

The device was a control unit for bio implants, and he could use it to change any settings on the implants in the clones. The Kaminoans weren’t too keen on him having it. They’d given him several warnings about how changing their designations would cause chaos in the system, how turning off the inhibitor chips would mess with their heads and make them disobedient and aggressive and how messing with their accelerated aging would make them sick for weeks and could cause weight problems. He didn’t care. He’d stop the accelerated aging, even if that meant not deploying the 501st for a couple more weeks. He’d been planning on doing it anyway, but the rumors about Rex being in a relationship with his padawan had caused him to prioritize his plan over the next campaign.

He didn’t want her to watch him grow old while she was still in her thirties. They’d have to grow old together. And Rex was already older than her biologically speaking, so he couldn’t wait until after the war. A small part of him wanted to disapprove of them because she was too young, but he had fallen in love when he was 9 years old so he couldn’t be a hypocrite about this. And Ahsoka was almost 16.

He knew that forbidding relationships would probably mean she’d do it behind his back instead. Like he was doing with Obi-Wan. He preferred that she was honest with him, so he could make sure he’d know it if something went wrong between her and Rex. The fact that Rex was biologically 23 at this point didn’t really matter to him. Rex was a good man, and he’d never hurt Ahsoka or pressure her into anything she wouldn’t want.

The clones had finished preparing his ship so he thanked them and went inside. He immediately took off the now soaked Jedi robes and hung them on the heater. As he put in the coordinates of Coruscant, he somehow felt lighter in the force. Like something was going right, and the force was an inch closer to balance now.

When he arrived on Coruscant a day later, it was late. He decided he wouldn’t visit his men just yet. They’d been expecting him the next day in the afternoon, and no one knew he was on Coruscant right now. He’d stay with Padmé tonight.

* * *

Kix was awoken by a dull thud on the door of his room. He immediately got up and opened the door to the rest of the medbay, still in his blacks. He immediately regretted it when 60 kg of frustated Togruta slammed into his stomach. He fell over backwards with the Commander on top of him.

“Morning Kix, are you gonna discharge me?” She said, smiling way to broadly for (he checked his wrist chrono) 6:00. 

Kix groaned “Yes, commander. You’re discharged, as promised”

His commander immediately bolted away from him and out of the medbay. Kix sighed and got up to eat breakfast and check up on his other patients.

* * *

“TRAITOR!”

Fives woke up convered in sweat, the images still fresh in his mind. Commander Tano in the mess, aiming his blaster, pulling the trigger... The hole in the back of her head, the blood on her plate pooling underneath her lifeless face... Rex aiming his gun at him and calling him a traitor before pulling the trigger. The flash of blue that woke him up... He had to go take a shower. 

After he dried off, he went into the locker room, kitted up and walked out when Commander Tano came running around the corner.

“Good morning Commander, did Kix finally release you from his sterile dungeon of despair?” He said, pretending like he hadn’t just dreamt of killing her.

“Yeah, I’m just getting a new set of clothes now. They were delivered when I was in the medbay so they’re probably in my locker now. I’m getting too talll for these. You’re up early. Is there a particular reason for that?”

Fives shrugged. “I had a bad dream”

She wrapped her arms around his middle “I understand”

He awkwardly unpeeled her from him. Usually a hug would make him feel better, but seeing her face against his chest plate reminded him of how her face looked on that plate in the mess hall.

“I’d honestly prefer some good news over a hug if I’m honest” he said. Being blunt about what you need to feel better was common thing within the 501st, and he could use some positive distraction.

“Well, tomorrow is my birthday and this time we might actually get to celebrate it since we’re on leave” she said, smiling at him. 

“That’s great,” He said while making a mental note to look up what the big deal about birthdays was. “Good job on being born I guess”

“Thanks,” she said, smiling awkwardly like she usually did when someone did something awkward but sweet. He added “look up how to congratulate someone on their birthday” to his mental note as Commander Tano went inside the locker room,

He didn’t know where to go next. He wanted to get breakfast, but something told him that he should walk toward the barracks entry. His hunches were usually right, so why not?

When he arrived at he barracks entry, he saw General Skywalker enter. He immediately stood at attention and greeted his General with “good morning Sir, it’s good to have you back”

“Good morning Fives. At ease.” General Skywalker looked around, saw that they were alone and said “did you find out what the situation about Rex and Ahsoka is yet?”

“No Sir,” he replied, “he didn’t seem to like it when I gave him her last name”

General Skywalker laughed at that. “Good one. What did you actually do to find out if they’re into each other?”

Fives remained quiet and tried to figure out how to tell his General that he did actually do that, and that he didn’t get to do much afterwards because he was cleaning the floors.

General Skywalker just opened the datapad he had with him and looked at the file. “Okay then,” he said, “that’s something I guess. Do you have anything else to report on them”

“Yes Sir. The Captain gave me cleaning duty for changing his name, the system won’t let anyone undo the name change, so he’s stuck with it. Commander Tano doesn’t know. Also she told me that it’s her birthday tomorrow.”

“Kriff, her birthday! Gather up the men after breakfast. Leave Ahsoka out of it. I have an announcement to make and a party to plan”

* * *

Rex sat in the front row between Jesse and 2536, who wanted to sit between him and Echo. He had no idea what was so important that General Skywalker had summoned the whole battalion except Commander Tano (who was meditating with General Kenobi, force rest his soul) immediately after breakfast.

General Skywalker stood up and the room went a quiet. He walked to the stage and the whole battalion was visibly uncomfortable. Usually, when General Skywalker made them all meet in the large meeting room, they were in trouble or they were about to be deployed.

“Gentlemen, today I have two announcements to make,” the General said, “the first being: tomorrow is Ahsoka’s birthday. Since we’re on leave, we can celebrate it”

The room was silent, full of confused men. After a few seconds, Hardcase raised his hand. Skywalker nodded at him and Hardcase said “Does this mean we get to take her to 79’s?” 

“Sounds like a good idea. Just make sure she’s safe and that nobody gets too drunk” the General said with a smile. The clones that were there the longest started cheering, while the shinier ones contained their reaction to GAR regulation appropriate levels. 

Rex remained mostly quiet though. Partially so he wouldn’t scare poor 2536 (who looked way too nervous like he expected General Skywalker to yell at them for the chaos that had just erupted), but he also felt a bit uneasy about why General Skywalker had said about how she shouldn’t get hurt. He really didn’t want to take any risks.

When the cheering died down, General Skywalker was still standing there. “I have a second announcement,” he said, and the room fell quiet again. “I got a biochip remote controller. So if anyone wants me to turn off their accelerated aging, I’ll be in the main hangar”

Chaos erupted.

* * *

It was getting late and Anakin had lost count of how many clones he’d already cured, but he guessed he was almost done based on the fact that the hangar was getting empty. Only Ahsoka, Rex, Echo, Fives and a shiny were still standing there. When they noticed he was available for the next clone, Echo put his hand on the shoulder of the shiny he didn’t recognize and helped him come forward.

“What’s your name?” He asked, but the shiny didn’t reply.

“He doesn’t have one yet,” Echo told him “but he wants to get the accelerated aging removed. He’s still to nervous to ask it himself though” 

“That’s okay. What’s your original designation?”

“CT-2536, Sir”

“Good to meet you, I’m Anakin Skywalker” Anakin said, as he punched in the numbers on the device and send out the signal. “Done.” He said. He really should find a way to automate this

Echo was next, and then he motioned for Fives to come forward. 

And then it was Rex’s turn. The Captain hadn’t come forward on his own yet, and Anakin had started to fear that he didn’t want to be cured. However, when Rex came forward he knew this was just one of the “the men come first” things Rex did. He put in CT-7567 and got an error. That’s weird, he thought he’d memorized Rex’s designation.

“It’s not going through, but maybe I typed your designation wrong” he put it in again, reading it out loud this time.

“Actually, my original designation was CC-7567” Rex said. Anakin raised an eyebrow at him but punched in the numbers, and it worked.

Ahsoka looked at Rex curiously. “Sorry Commander, the story behind that isn’t one I’m willing to share right now. Maybe later”

She seemed to accept that and left with him, Echo and the shiny to the mess for a late night snack. Fives stayed behind with him though. The poor guy looked terrible.

“Are you okay Fives?” Anakin asked.

“I’m fine Sir.”

“You look like you haven’t slept in weeks” 

“I’m fine, I just had a nightmare last night. But I’m used to it, so I’ll be fine.”

Anakin sat down next to the clone.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“Why would I?”

“Sometimes, it can help to talk about it”

“Well, alright then Sir. But you have to promise me you won’t tell anyone about this”

“I won’t”

Fives sighed, and mentally prepared himself before he started talking. Anakin could feel how conflicted the ARC trooper was in the force.

“There’s a recurring nightmare that I’ve had for as long as I can remember. Usually it doesn’t wake me up, but tonight the nightmare ended differently so I woke up from it”

“How does it usually go?”

“It starts out normal, in an everyday situation. I usually don’t even know that I’m dreaming. But then, I suddenly get an order from someone via comm. I don’t know who gives it to me or why, or even what the order is. Just that I have to obey. I hear my own voice in my head, and it keeps saying _good soldiers follow orders_. My brothers seem to hear it too, but other people don’t. Then, we kill the Jedi. It’s never a conscious choice; it’s like we’re being controlled. I’d compare it to being mind tricked, but I know how those feel and how to resist them and this is different. There is no “convincing”; it just happens and you have no control over your body. You don’t even have emotions. You just watch as your blaster is raised and the Jedi gets shot and dies. You don’t feel anything”

They remained silent for a few moments while Anakin processed what’s he just heard.

“And this is a common thing?”

“Yes sir. Every brother I asked has that nightmare at least once a week”

“That’s terrible, and it can’t be a coincidence. We have to do something, but I don’t know what.” Anakin said as put his face in his hands. This was bad, and he didn’t know what to do about it. “What was different tonight?”

Fives sighed. “Last night, the dream went the same as usual until after I’d killed Commander Tano. The sound of my blaster got me back to being myself again, and it hit me what I had done. My brothers reacted differently as well. Instead of agreeing with killing the Jedi, they were all shocked and no one could say a word. Except Rex. He called me a traitor, like I deserved, and killed me on the spot. Though it was probably much quicker than what he’d do in real life”

Fives laughed a little at his own joke

“In all seriousness though, I really want these nightmares to stop now. And I have a feeling it has to do with the inhibitor chips. I don’t know why, only that the chips are made to make us more docile so we follow orders better. I want to know what happens if the chip is deactivated”

At that, Anakin had an idea.

“Actually, is it okay if we just remove the chip?”

“Yes sir. But won’t that just be an extra risk? If the Kaminoans are right about the dangers...”

“I know Fives,” Anakin interrupted, “That’s why I’m asking, not ordering. But if all the men have that dream, I want to reverse engineer the chip. I’ve got a gut feeling that we should look into it, and I think it’s the force telling me something”

“Okay sir. I’ll go shave my head and prep the med droid”

“No, we shouldn’t. We have to keep this a secret until we know more, and shaving your head is suspicious” 

“How else are we supposed to remove the chip?”

“We’ll ask Kix, he knows how to keep a secret. Plus, he can cut away just enough hair for the surgery without anyone noticing”

“How do you know that?”

“Well, look at his own hair. And do you know how I got this scar?” 

“No Sir”

“Told you Kix could keep a secret”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys enjoyed it. This is what I meant with ending the clone wars in a more positive way. I’m still upset about what happened to Fives in canon T-T
> 
> Please leave more comments and kudos. I really appreciate them


	5. The Party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ahsoka turns 16 and celebraties with her men at 79’s. Of course, things get a bit out of hand

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys. I changed the rating to T because that fit better with most of the story except for one planned scene, which I’ll rewrite as a separate work and link to when it’s relevant

Ahsoka walked towards the barracks after her first party at senator Amidala’s place to which Anakin, Obi-Wan, Master Plo and Barriss were invited. It was nice, but she was much more exited to party with her men. She had heard a lot of good stories about 79’s and was exited that she’d finally be allowed in. This would be way more exiting than talking about her training or politics.

When she entered her men cheered and started greeting her enthusiastically. Almost all of Torrent was beyond pumped up while the rest of the battalion was a lot calmer. She got a lot of compliments on her new clothes from all of them though. She knew not the whole 501st would come to 79’s with her. They were technically all on sick leave since the cure for the accelerated aging left the entire battalion with pretty bad fatigue. She knew they could push through and would gladly do so, but she didn’t want to be the one pushing them. She didn’t expect the whole battalion to come with her anyway and if they preferred to sleep instead that was completely okay with her. They needed their sleep while their bodies were adjusting to regular aging.

After hanging out at the barracks with her men for a while the group that wanted to take her to 79’s had formed. Rex, Fives, Echo, Hardcase, Jesse and Kix. Surprisingly, 2536 had tagged along as well. Tup had probably wanted to come as well, but when they went to retrieve him he was fast asleep and they couldn’t wake him up. Any clone that could sleep through having their shoulder shaken needed that nap. It was a 30 minute walk, but they had permission to use a LAATi and one of the pilots had volunteered to fly them there so they did that. Flying a LAATi through civilian traffic was way more fun than she’d thought it would be, she got a lot of weird looks from civilians but that just made it better.

When they arrived at 79’s there were surprisingly few clones there. In fact almost half of the patrons seemed to be civilian women. It didn’t look like it was a busy night. The boys immediately got a table, but Rex went straight to the bar. She followed him, still curious about the bar.

“What kind of drink do you want?” He asked her.

“I honestly don’t know. I’ve never had alcohol before.”

“I’ll just get you what we usually get.” And walked to the bar. “A crate of beer, please.”

“Then your civvie girlfriend will have to pay and show us her ID,” the bartender said.

Rex sighed. “She’s not my girlfriend, she’s my Commander. And I thought 79’s was free for all military personnel on leave?” 

“Can you provide your military ID, miss?”

She showed the bartender her military ID and the bartender looked surprised, but he nodded. “It checks out.” And gave Rex a crate of beer.

He handed her a beer and carried the rest of the crate to the table where Echo, 2536, Fives, Jesse, Kix and Hardcase were sitting. She sat down next to Hardcase and Rex sat down next to her while putting the crate in the middle

“Beer won’t get you drunk anytime soon, Commander,” Hardcase said as he takes a swing from a bottle so small he could hide the entire bottle in one hand and visibly cringing when he swallowed it.

“Yeah, that’s the point,” Rex said, “she has to pace herself the first time since we don’t know if she’s a lightweight. You should also pace yourself. Besides, we’re not trying to get too drunk today. What are you drinking anyway?”

Hardcase just handed him the bottle and leaned over Ahsoka. Rex took one look at it and handed it to Kix. “I think this is yours.”

Kix looked at the bottle. “You drank my rubbing alcohol?”

“Yeah, it’s a really effective way to get drunk quickly.”

The medic sighed. “You’re a danger to yourself and society, Hardcase. At least it’s the Ethanol based one and not the IPA.”

“Why? Is IPA better than this crap?”

“No, di’kut! I swear on the force... I’m going to take you back to Kamino to put you back into your jar until you’re mature enough to be left alone for five minutes!” Kix said a bit too loud.

2536 grabbed Echo’s arm. “Don’t worry vod’ika, Kix isn’t mad at you. He’s just really stressed because it’s his responsibility to keep us all healthy and some of the men are reckless. And then there’s Hardcase who just asked to drink the stuff we use to clean our armor.”

“Yeah,” Fives added, “Kix is usually very calming unless you start bothering his patients. Even if you are the patient you’re bothering. But he won’t get upset with you if you take good care of your health and leave your stitches in.”

“And if he does get upset for no reason I’ll fight him for you,” Ahsoka added.

2536 smiled. “Thanks, Sir”

She smiled back at him. She didn’t want to push him into addressing her with her actual name until he was ready, but the smile was an improvement.

“I don’t think Kix would be scared of her. She’s adorable,” Hardcase said clearly tipsy from the antiseptic. 

“Hey, that’s the Captain’s girl you’re talking about!” Fives said.

Ahsoka raised an eye marking at that, but before she could react Hardcase continued, “I didn’t mean it like that. She’s.... copikla. Look at her. She’s basically a tooka, but with a humanoid body and lekku.”

“Okay Hardcase, you’re drunk,” Jesse said as he started dragging Hardcase to the bathroom to get some water in him to sober him up a bit.

Ahsoka turned to Fives and with as much command in her voice as she could muster after seeing Jesse drag a drunk Hardcase away, “Stop spreading lies about me and Rex or I’ll knuckle you”

“I’ll stop talking on the condition that I’ll be invited to the weddi-“ before he could finish the sentence she was behind him with one arm around his neck and the knuckles of her other hand rubbing his head as hard as she could. Fives was cringing hard at the sensation, but she kept him in a headlock and continued knuckling him.

Kix looked horrified. “You’re messing up his stitches!”

She immediately stopped rubbing him and checked the area she had just rubbed. There was a neat, straight cut with stitches in it hidden in his thick black hair. 

“Sorry Kix, I didn’t know. Nice stitches. Good job on the haircut too. I genuinely couldn’t tell”

“Thanks Commander. I’m going to check him over and disinfect it just in case,” he said as he took Fives to a quieter part of the bar.

She, Rex, Echo and 2536 sat quietly for a while, drink their drinks and watching their brothers for a while. Kix finished disinfecting Fives’ stitches when he suddenly got up and angrily marched to the bathroom.

“What do you think he’s upset about?” Echo asked

“My guess is that he accidentally used the rubbing alcohol Hardcase drank from and that he wants to see if Hardcase is now sober enough to be yelled at,” Rex said shrugging and went to take another sip, but then he noticed his glass was empty.

“I‘ll get us a new crate,” Echo offered getting up. 2536 followed his big brother into the long line that was now forming in front of the bar.

She and Rex were alone now and suddenly she felt a bit more nervous. Why she didn’t know. She didn’t really know what to talk about for once. Well, she did. She’d been curious about why his designation had changed, but she wasn’t sure if he wanted to talk about it.

“So... I actually had something I wanted to ask, but I’m not sure if you want to talk about it,” she said.

“Ask away,” he said looking a bit nervous. 

“Yesterday you said that your designation had changed after you were born. Can you tell me the story behind that? If you don’t want to that’s fine. I’m just curious”

Rex sighed. “It’s okay. I can tell you, but please don’t tell other people. I’m not supposed to talk about it and it’s still a bit of a bad memory.”

She nodded and took another sip.

“I was originally a clone Commander like Cody. He’s actually my only surviving batchmate and the only one that actually made it to Marshal Commander. The rest of us were killed during training. Our training was tougher than that of the other clones. The training droids used live ammunition and shot to kill. After Cody and I made it through that we were supposed to start training alone to increase our independence. However, they finally noticed that I was defective and demoted me to a rank and file trooper.”

She choked on her drink. “You’re what?”

“Defective,” he said too casually. “It’s not really a big deal in my case. But even a small, aesthetic defect like blond hair would get you kicked out of Command training. Commanders were supposed to interact directly with the Jedi. If the Jedi found out that I had blond hair they might think the Kaminoans weren’t capable of creating perfect clones”

“That’s terrible! And how would they expect you to hide your hair as a regular trooper?

Rex casually unclipped his helmet from his belt and put it on. “Like this”

She still had some questions. “If they didn’t want you to be a Commander then why did they give you the rank of Captain? Wouldn’t that put you as one of the first to be promoted in case the Commander dies?”

“It would, but they weren’t the ones who gave me my rank. General Skywalker did,” he said taking his helmet off again

“What’s the story behind that?”

“The battle of Geonosis. I was part of one of the evacuation group and ended up on the same gunship as General Skywalker, General Kenobi and Senator Amidala. We spotted Dooku and decided to chase him, but when we got close the gunship got hit. The Senator and I fell out of the gunship. I fell harder than her, but my armor absorbed most of the shock. Senator Amidala was wearing... I don’t know what it’s called but it was made out of white cloth, thin and already damaged. She actually passed out for a few seconds. I tried to get her to the command center, but she wanted to follow the Generals to the hanger. I got her a transport and went along with her. When we arrived at the hangar she immediately jumped into General Skywalker’s arms. Or well, arm. Though she didn’t seem to notice immediately.”

She raised an eye marking at Rex. 

“He lost his arm in that fight. Senator Amidala seemed to be really glad to see him alive. General Kenobi was also wounded and didn’t seem to want to deal with the situation. I stepped in and told them they could hug after General Skywalker was released from the medbay. He didn’t seem to want to go to the medbay, but Senator Amidala backed me up. If we had waited longer he might’ve lost a larger part of his lower arm due to circulation issues. While he was in the medbay Senator Amidala thanked me and asked for my name. I gave her my designation because I didn’t want to break the regs. Then I was called away. A week later I got the news that I was assigned to the General Skywalker. He wanted to promote me to commander immediately, but he wasn’t allowed to do that so got the rank of Captain instead. When our Commander fell in battle he still wasn’t allowed to promote me so he just unofficially promoted me and we had a gap in our ranks until you filled that position.” He winked at her and she could feel her lekku blush slightly. 

“That was an interesting story. I didn’t know when or how my master lost his hand. Do you know how it happened?”

“I’m pretty sure it was a lightsaber wound, it was completely cauterised and the fabric of his sleeve had melted to his skin. I suspect Count Dooku did it.”

“That sounds like it.” she winced. She had only gotten some shallow burns that could be treated with bacta, but those already hurt pretty badly. 

Rex nodded, but then he looked over her head and his face lit up.

“Gotta go, Cody is here and I want to say hi. Can you keep the table occupied for a few minutes?”

“Sure, no problem,” she said and she looked as he basically ran towards Cody and hugged his brother. She smiled. It was good to see him hang out with Cody outside of the battlefield too and knowing they were batchmates made her understand why they were so close even though they didn’t see each other that often.

“How did you get the Captain that interested?” A female voice behind her asked. She turned around and saw a pear-green twilek in a blue bodysuit with a purple headdress. 

“I guess I’m just interesting,” she said. 

“Very funny,” the twilek said, “but I had dibs on him”

“Dibs? What do you mean?” She asked, getting confused now.

“I saw him first. I know you’re new here so I’ll make you a deal. I’ll get a you a new clone and you leave the blond one for me.”

“What do you want with my Captain?”

“He isn’t yours, he’s mine. And we’re literally at a bar. What do you think I want?”

“I don’t know, but can you please leave me alone?”

“Okay, I’ll leave you alone once I’ve found a new clone for you so you leave mine alone,” the twilek said before storming off.

Ahsoka sat there irritated and flabbergasted. She wasn’t irritated because the clones were apparently popular with women. She was angry at how this woman talked about Rex like he was hers. He wasn’t and the mere suggestion made her stomach turn. She didn’t want to see him with another girl though she didn’t know why. Was she jealous? Was Fives right about her with his stupid jokes? No, she was upset because that woman didn’t seem like Rex for who he is. She just saw Rex as a piece of lab grown meat with not free will. She was upset because her best friend was being treated like that and not because she was in love with him like Fives liked to imply.

Speaking of the devil, the twilek woman had come back with the ARC trooper in question. He didn’t look particularly happy with being dragged away from his brothers, but when he saw her he smiled and gave her a lazy salute.

“Here. I found you this ARC trooper. Do you like him?” The twilek asked

“No, he’s an annoying idiot,” she said dryly

“I’m not interested in her either,” Fives said. 

“What?” The twilek asked, clearly annoyed. “Don’t you think she’s cute?”

“She’s my vod, so...”

That changed her mood immediatly. She threw herself against his chestplate and wrapped her arms around him at tightly as possible. She didn’t know how else to express her gratitude for being referred to as his sister. She knew that this wasn’t something trivial, but she didn’t know how to express her suddenly very intense feelings other than giving him an impulsive hug and saying “thank you” into his armor. He put his arms around her as well and hugged her back.

When she let him go the twilek looked genuinely confused but then shrugged and walked off. Relieved that the woman had stopped bothering her she went to sit down again when she was hit with 80 kg of drunk trooper. Hardcase had come out of nowhere practically sweeped her off her feet and was now pulling her into a bone crushing hug. She used the force to push back against his deathgrip on her a bit, but he was still holding on to her with his face pushed into the side of her montral.

“I just want you to know that I think of you as my vod’ika as well and that you’re the best Commander in the entire 501st.” 

“Thanks Hardcase. I appreciate it. Can you let me go though? You’re squeezing me” 

“Yer sis!” Hardcase slurred while releasing her and roughly petting the top of her head. It dislodged the beads of her headdress.

“Yer sis? Is that how you’re saying yes sir now?” Fives asked

“Yeah,” Hardcase replied swaying slightly

“Okay, we’re going to the bathroom to sober you up again” Fives sighed. By now it was pretty clear Hardcase had additional booze (or rubbing alcohol) hidden somewhere in his armor.

Hardcase sighed. “But then I have to pee again.” Though he let Fives put an arm around him and guide him to the bathroom. 

Ahsoka watched as Hardcase fell to the ground and Fives called over Kix to drag their brother to the bathroom. 

“Hey, what’s a pretty lady like you doing here?’ said a vaguely familiar voice behind her. She turned and saw a clone trooper standing behind her. He wore regular infantry armor with green markings with a large vibroknife strapped to his belt. He also had a large scar on his head that was creating a visible gap in his regulation haircut, running along the side of his head. His armor still looked quite shiny though so she suspected he’d only seen one or two battles.

“Celebrating with my men,” she said, sitting back at her (now empty) table.

“My name is Stinger. I got the name because I stab droids in the head. I’m part of the 41st Elite Corps.” He winked at her

“Yeah, I noticed the green armor”

Something about the trooper made her uncomfortable. He didn’t seem to know who she was, but tried to act like they were friends or something. She didn’t know what to do.

Before she could decide Rex came back and sat down besides her. Judging by the way he had to grab the table he’d had a little too much to drink as well. “Hi ‘Soka, how are you doing so far?” he asked.

“I’m having fun, but I’m getting tired now. And the music is a bit too loud for my hearing.”

Rex nodded. “I had kind of expected that. Do you want me to take you home?”

Before she could answer Stinger put his arms on the table between her and Rex. It blocked him from her and looking him straight in the face. “I was going to ask that first... _Vod_.” he turned to Ahsoka. “Do you wanna take me home with you and find out which parts of a clone are engineered perfectly?”

Before Ahsoka could react Rex had grabbed the other clone. “I’m not your Vod. And you should leave her alone.” Stinger grabbed a drink from the table and threw it in Rex’s face.

“Yes you are. We’re from the same factory and you shouldn’t prevent your brother from getting laid.”

Rex punched the trooper in the nose as hard as he could, and he fell on the ground. “My commander is clearly not interested. And aliit ori'shya tal'din.” 

Rex turned to her and said, “Do you wanna go home now?” He said this with an angry look still in his eyes

She nodded and left with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mandoa translations:  
> Copikla: cute, but like a puppy or kitten. Kinda rude to say to a (grown) woman  
> Aliit ori'shya tal'din: Family is more than blood


	6. The Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rex goes home with Ahsoka. He spends the night with her (actually sleeping, this is chapter 6 of a slowburn fic)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ve uploaded another chapter earlier so this fic isn’t on the same chapter as my other fic anymore.
> 
> TW: This chapter contains one very minor mention of non-con. It’s really not graphic and no one gets hurt in any way, but I felt bad about not warning about it. It's basically a mention that is actually a miscommunication.

When they were outside, Rex took a deep breath and grabbed his comm. “Cody, do you hear me?”

“Loud and clear Vod, why are you comming me instead of just walking up to me? You’re still at 79’s, right?”

“No, I just left. Some asshole was bothering Commander Tano so I had to punch him. I’m sure he or one of his brothers will call in the party pooper. Can you keep quiet what happened and send him away”

Cody audibly sighed on the other side of the comm. “Fine. But you’re going to talk to Skywalker about your rank. And if he doesn’t listen, go to Kenobi” and he ended the call.

“What was that about?” She asked her Captain

“Every time a clone starts a fight in a bar, people get nervous. So the Coruscant Guard is called in to deal with the issue by kicking everyone out. Fox can usually be reasoned with by a commander though, so Cody is the only one who can prevent Fox from kicking everyone out”

“Hey!” She said, pretending to be offended “I’m a Commander too”

“Ah, sorry Sir. I meant Clone Commander.”

“Technically I hold that rank as well”

“Really? Well you’re not doing a very good job at it”

“What’s that’s supposed to mean?”

“You’re breaking the regs”

“What regs?”

In response, Rex unclipped his bucket from his belt and put it on her head. Since it didn’t fit on both her montrals, it slid to the left and hung on her montral. “The regs about keeping your head in a bucket.“

She laughed and they kept walking, Ahsoka still with his helmet on her montral.

“In all seriousness, Fox doesn’t really like the Jedi. So I doubt he’d have listened to you” he said.

She nodded and they walked silently towards the Jedi temple.

* * *

Fives and Kix had tried to get some water in Hardcase but he’d passed out. He seemed stable enough though, so they just left him on the ground. Fives was just about to ask Kix if they should carry him back to the barracks when a clone from the 41st dragged his brother inside the bathroom.

“Welcome to our shitty medbay” Fives said.

“I don’t have time for your bullshit, my brother has a broken nose because of your Captain”

“Really? What happened?” Kix asked

“I don’t know, I saw it from a distance. My brother was trying to go home with some weird twilek girl, but your captain got really aggressive and went home with her”

Fives threw Kix a look. “That doesn’t sound like Rex at all” he said

“Yeah, well he was 501st. Maybe he was an ARC trooper with a missing pauldron. Honestly I didn’t get a good look at him, but I could see he was blond, had a Kama and a command wing”

“Weird, our Captain never goes home with girls. That twilek wouldn’t let him, and he didn’t seem to be interested in her or other girls anyway” Fives said

“Whatever happened, your brother needs help” Kix said. “I’m a medic, I’ll help you clean him up”

While Kix was cleaning the troopers face, they received a low priority emergency signal that just said “Fox alert”. Of course it was. The only thing the low priority emergency signals were used for was non-emergency things, and the most common one was Fox coming in to break up a fight. Fives sighed and went outside of the bathroom, and saw that Commander Cody had already intercepted Fox and was talking to him. He noticed that Commander Tano wasn’t at their table anymore, but she was probably off talking to one of the boys so he didn’t worry about her.

* * *

Rex and Ashoka has only been walking for 10 minutes when Rex started shivering.

“Are you okay?” Ahsoka asked, handing him his bucket back

“I’m fine, ‘Soka” He said, putting the bucket back on his belt

“No, you’re not. You’re shivering. We’re going back to the barracks and get you checked up immediately”

“No, I’m dropping you off at the Jedi temple and then I’m going back to the barracks to sleep. I’m not bothering the medics with this”

“Rex, it’s 18 degrees outside but you look like you’re freezing. This isn’t normal. My dress has an open back and even I’m not freezing that much.” 

“Thanks for the concern, but it’s just an armor malfunction”

She raised an eye marking at him, so he continued explaining.

“The suits are supposed to regulate our body temperature, and it measures how sweaty you are as well. Those sensors don’t like being soaked in alcohol or carbonated drinks, and will go haywire. So my suit thinks I’m overheating and it’s cooling me down way too much”

“Okay. If you want to we can run to the temple instead”

“Let’s do that” he agreed

* * *

It had been over half an hour since Fox had tried to break up the party and ended up taking Commander Cody with him to file a report and Fives still hadn’t seen their Captain or Commander. He was starting to get worried and decided he’d ask around to see if his brothers had seen her.

* * *

When they arrived at the Jedi temple, Rex hadn’t gotten much warmer from the running. He’d probably be off worse if he hadn’t ran the rest of the way, but he was still miserable and his suit was still running at maximum cooling. Ahsoka seemed to have noticed.

“Rex, you look miserable. I can’t let you go back to the barracks like this”

“I’ll be fine, and it’s not like I could stay anywhere else. I’ll see you tomorrow.” he said, while trying to walk away

“Oh no you don’t, I’m sneaking you into the Jedi temple and I’m gonna do everything I can to make sure you don’t get hypothermia tonight” she said, as she grabbed him by the neck of his blacks and pulled him inside.

“But I’m not allowed inside the Jedi temple” he protested.

“I don’t care” she said, coolly. 

Once inside, she dragged him into a small chamber left of the main entrance that was filled with racks full of Jedi robes and closed the door behind him. “You’ll need a disguise, and it should keep you warm” she said, as she pulled out Jedi robes from one of the racks in the back.

“Wait, you’re stealing robes? Won’t you get in trouble for that as well?”

“These are my master’s, so no. And if he starts drama about it I have enough dirt on him to make him shut up”

“Are we talking about his _friendship_ with Senator Amidala?”

“Yeah, that’s exactly what I’m talking about. I’m pretty sure everyone knows, but he doesn’t know that everyone knows” she rolled her eyes at that and put the robe on his shoulders. He slid his arms through the sleeves and put on the hood. He hid his gauntlets by shoving his hands into his sleeves and pressed them to his stomach to prevent the robes from sliding open and revealing his armor. Though he still didn’t feel comfortable sneaking into the Jedi temple, he now agreed that it was a better idea than walking all the way back to the barracks with malfunctioning armor.

While they snuck through the Jedi temple, Rex couldn’t help but look around. He had never seen the inside of the Jedi temple before. 

“If you want to, we can go to the library sometime?” She suggested.

“What do you want to do in the library?” 

“I don’t know. But it’s impressive to see and I can tell that you’re curious about the temple”

“You know what, I might take you up on that” he said, keeping his voice as casual as possible to avoid recognition.

They arrived in a smaller hallway eventually, and she looked around the hallway. When she saw that they were alone, she opened a door and gestured for Rex to go inside.

Rex looked around the room. It was a small room with one bed, a wardrobe, a cabinet, a floor cushion and a small desk. There was also another door on the other side of the room. Then he realized that this was her bedroom.

She pulled out a toolkit from her cabinet and handed it to him “I hope this can help with your armor?”

He looked at the tools. There was a full set of circuitry repair tool, including a datapad and the right cables to hook his armor up to it. “I appreciate it, but the best way to solve it is by dekitting and rinsing the blacks until they’re soaked in just water”

“Okay, there’s a shower behind that door. You can take a shower too if you want. I’ll meditate and keep watch”

He nodded, took off his plates and bucket and put them in the corner, along with the robes. After he got his bucket and the plates off, he noticed that only the top half of his blacks had gotten wet. Good. He got into the shower, took off his pants and underwear and hung them out of reach of the water on the clothing hooks. Then, he took a shower with the top half of his blacks still on like any efficient trooper would.

When he was finished with his shower 10 minutes later, he took off his shirt, dried himself off and put his underwear and pants back on before getting out of the showers. Ahsoka was still meditating but she looked at him immediately. Suddenly he wasn’t so sure about his decisions come out of the shower shirtless, but he hadn’t really had another choice.

“Ah, you’re done. Make yourself at home, I’m gonna take a shower real quick as well.” She grabbed her sleeping clothes and went into the shower, leaving her bracers on top of his armor. He put his helmet on and turned on the heatcam. He saw a lot of heat coming from the shower and he smiled. Typical, she always liked being warm. He looked around the room and noticed a pattern of heat on the ground. Floor heating. He put his soaked shirt on the place where the pipes originated to dry them as fast as possible.

Unsure of what do do with himself, he stood in her room for a while looking around. She didn’t have many things in her room in plain sight though, and snooping through her cabinet didn’t feel appropriate. He eventually decided to sit on the large pillow she’d just meditated on. It was really soft and he was practically dozing off when she got out of the shower

“You should probably stay with me tonight” she said way too casually.

He startled and got out of the pillow. He stared at her, standing there in her light blue pajamas. Did- did she just say that? He knew that clones were conventionally attractive and that some girls really liked him specifically for his mutation. The feeling had never been mutual since they clearly didn’t think of him as a person. Especially not that one twilek that had been bothering him for months now. But this wasn’t the possessive twilek, this was Ahsoka. She always saw him as a person, as one of her closest friends. She respected him, so surely she’d also respect that he didn’t know if he wanted this, right? She wasn’t ordering him to “lie down and think of the republic”, she was asking him. As a friend. Or maybe as more? He realized that he didn’t dislike the idea of being physical with her. He wasn’t ready for this much yet, but he liked the idea of holding her close or gently kissing her. He mentally scolded himself for thinking about his Commander like that, even though she made a move on him first.

“Uhm... I’ll have to think about it. I’m not sure if we should do that” he answered truthfully.

“I’m ordering you to stay if you’re going to be like that”

He really didn’t know what to say. Part of him still wanted to refuse, but he also didn’t want to refuse her something she wanted and he didn’t want to fight her. He decided he’d try to talk himself out of this situation, but that he’d just let her have him if he couldn’t. He’d rather do that than hurt her.

“Sir, I have never done this before and I don’t feel like I’m ready for it yet. I will follow your orders if I have to, but please reconsider”

She just stared at him. Then, her eyes widened.

“Wait, that’s not what I meant at all. I’m so sorry, Rex. I should’ve phrased that a lot better. I meant that you should sleep here tonight, literally. Your blacks are still wet and won’t be dry until this morning, and it wouldn’t be a good idea to go outside at night without them. I just want to keep you safe and warm in here instead of making you walk home. Just sleeping, nothing more.”

...Oh. She just meant a sleepover. He mentally scolded himself again for misinterpreting the situation.

“You’re right sir. I’ll stay here tonight” he blushed and hoped it was just his face, and that it hadn’t crept down to his neck or bare chest.

He immediately lay down on the floor next to her bed.

“Goodnight Sir” he said as he pretended to sleep right away and found out that sleeping with just his helmet on was very uncomfortable.

She got in her bed, and patted the space next to her.

“If you want to, we could share the bed. It’s warmer like that”

He considered it for a second. He wanted to say yes, but he wasn’t sure if he should. Kriff it, it was just sharing heat. That was common practice on missions in a colder climate. It wasn’t weird.

“Okay” he said, getting up and crawling into bed with her, lying on his back. She sat up and moved her hands to his face. Was she going to kiss him? He mentally scolded himself again for thinking that during a completely normal situation. But then he felt the vacuum seal of his helmet break and she pulled off his helmet and put it besides her bed, leaning over him. Right, the helmet. He somehow forgot about that. She didn’t fully retreat to her side of the bed though. Instead she laid down, half on top of him with her arm around him and one leg draped over his waist. Without thinking about it, he put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. This was nice. Comfortable. She pulled the covers over then both and turned off the light with the force and dozed off. He quickly fell asleep as well, exhausted from the day.

* * *

Back at 79’s, Torrent company was panicking. Their Commander was not there, and none of them knew where she was. They had just tried comming her, but she didn’t pick up. Honestly, they wished their Captain was there with them. He’d know what to do. They all sat at their table, discussing what to do, when 2536 spoke up. “Excuse me? I might have an idea.” Fives heard him and gestured for his brothers to calm down and listen to 2536. 

“Maybe we could trace her comm”

“We can’t, not unless we receive a signal from her” Fives said

“But we did? Her comm must’ve send some kind of signal, otherwise we would’ve gotten an out of reach error” 2536 said. 

“He’s right” Echo said. “Fives, comm her again. I’ll trace the signal”

They did, and they got her coordinates very accurately.

“Good, that means she’s nearby” Echo said as he looked up where the coordinates were.

“She’s at the Jedi temple”

“Oh thank the force” Hardcase said

“Yeah, the General would’ve killed us if anything bad had happened to her” Jesse added

Fives laughed grimly “If Rex hadn’t shot us first”

“Well that’s not happening,” Hardcase said. “One more round before we go hit the hay?”

They all nodded and got another round.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked it. Kudos/comments are very much appreciated, they always make my day


	7. The Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rex and Ahsoka are found out by both the 501st and Anakin, and they both face the consequences. Which aren’t that bad because everyone is supportive. Too supportive.

Ahsoka woke up well rested the next morning with her head still on Rex’s bare chest. He had rolled onto his side during the night, and they were now facing each other. He was warm, and his skin felt really nice. He had his face between her montrals. She moved away to look at his face. He looked cute while sleeping. He pulled her close again, with one hand on her back and one on her head near her back lekku, and he put his chin on her head. She pulled him closer as well. This was good.

The moment was ruined when she heard her master‘s distinctively metallic knocking on the door. She immediately sat up

“Snips?” He asked “are you dressed?”

Rex was still asleep, so she answered through the force bond “Yes, but plea-“ and at that, Anakin came bursting through the door

“How was last night?” He asked, before spotting her with a half naked clone in her bed. His face went from shock, to concern, to a very brief flick of anger to confusion in a matter of seconds. “Never mind, I don’t want to know.”

“Master, it’s not what it looks like” she protested when he kneeled down next to her bed with the same look on his face he always had when he was about to lecture her on following orders or the Jedi code.

“Snips, you’re literally in bed with him and he’s naked. I’m pretty sure I know what’s going on here, and you don’t have to hide it from me. I’m happy if you’re happy. Just don’t tell me any details.”

She didn’t know what to say except a very confused “but he’s wearing pants”, but Anakin wasn’t done with his awkward speech yet

“Please be safe though. Especially concerning pregnancy. Also, don’t do this in the Jedi temple. The Commander’s office is much less suspicious and it has a lock. And you’ll need to keep it a secret from the other Jedi if you want to avoid a “be mindful of your attachments” speech”

“Just like how you’re keeping your relationship with Senator Amidala a secret” Rex said, still asleep

“Senator Amidala and I are just friends, go back to sleep, Rex.”

“Yes Sir.” Rex said as he grabbed Ahsoka in his sleep, and pulled her against his chest and rolled on top of her

Anakin seemed to notice that Rex was actually asleep, and stood up. “I don’t think he’s getting up soon. And I have no idea what he’s talking about, he must be having some weird dream in which I’m hiding a relationship with senator Amidala. Which I am not by the way. I’m letting all the troops sleep in today, you should to. Though you should stop by Kix this afternoon for some check ups. See you later Snips!”

And he walked out the door before she could explain the whole situation, clearly embarrassed from walking in on them lying in bed

Ahsoka just lied there, trapped underneath Rex. Well, she wasn’t really trapped. She could easily push him off, but she didn’t want to wake him. He seemed to be waking up by himself though

* * *

Rex woke up on his stomach in a room he didn’t immediately recognize. He pushed himself up on his arms and noticed Commander Tano was lying half underneath him.

“Good morning Rex” she said, sliding out from under him. “Did you sleep well?”

“I did Sir” he said, returning to formality because he didn’t know how else to deal with the unfamiliar situation. 

“Good. Then we should probably get back to the barracks. The men are probably expecting you back by now”

“Yeah, good idea” he said. He wasn’t really paying attention, she had looked adorable lying down on the pillow like that. He thought about pushing her down and kissing her senseless briefly, but immediately pushed the thought away and mentally slapped himself for having the intrusive thought in the first place. He got up to put on his now mostly dry blacks as she walked towards where her clothes lay next to his armor.

“I got a couple of missed calls from Jesse and Fives” she said. “Didn’t you tell them we were leaving?”

“No sir. I‘m sorry, I forgot” he said. 

“That’s okay, though we should probably inform them that I’m fine” She said, as she grabbed her clothes and got back into the shower to change.

* * *

Fives got up at 10:52. That was... weird... usually all clones got up at 6:30 precisely. He did have a weird night last night though. He stayed up way too late and had to deal with the stress of losing Commander Tano at 79’s. Maybe that’s why he slept in so late and missed breakfast. He grabbed his comm to check for anything he’d missed. He had a notification from General Skywalker that said all troops should get as much sleep as they need and that breakfast and lunch could be picked up at any time today. Neat.

When he got to the mess, there were a few other clones there, including the ones who had been with him to 79’s the previous night. Except Kix and Rex, which was weird. He assumed that Kix would be in the medbay already, but Rex being gone was odd. He should’ve been back by now. Assuming Rex knew that staying over after a hookup was usually a no-go. Kriff, what if he had actually slept over at that crazy twilek‘s place? She’d be even more obnoxious than she already was, and they’d have to make sure she didn’t try to lock him up in her house. If the Captain wasn’t back by 12:00, he’d trace his comm and organize a search party

* * *

Ahsoka and Rex were walking towards the barracks when Ahsoka said “Maybe we should go in separately. You go first”

He looked at her with a raised eyebrow, but followed her suggestion and went in. She followed him to the door but hid herself with the force so none of the men would pay attention to her just yet. 

“Captain, you’re back” Hardcase exclaimed. “How was last night?”

“Last night was great, but why are you asking me? You were at 79’s too.” He answered.

“No I mean afterwards” Hardcase said, winking excessively. 

“I slept well, no nightmares and I woke up much more well rested than usual” he said, apparently oblivious to the implication.

Jesse got up too. “We know you got laid, Captain. Give us the details”

“What?” Rex was visibly confused by that. “I didn’t get laid. You’ve got the wrong idea vod”

“Really?” Hardcase asked.

“Yes, really. You guys are just making up things because you got bored of Fives’ rumors”

“Actually, Fives was the one who told us you went home with a girl. None of us saw it firsthand but someone from the 41st did” Jesse said.

Ahsoka decided she should step in soon. Watching Rex trying to talk his way out of this was fun, but she should set the record straight.

Fives said “Yeah, he told me and Kix that a blond clone in 501st blue armor with a Kama and a single command wing on his shoulder knocked out his brother, broke his nose and made off with the weird twilek girl he was hitting on”

Rex was visibly angry now.

“He didn’t get laid. I’d know. And weird twilek girl? Really?” Ahsoka asked

“That’s what I heard,” Fives said “I think he meant that girl that tried to get us together. And how would you know if he got laid or not?”

“Since Rex went home with me last night” she said.

The men were all silent and stared at their Captain and Commander. Rex turned bright red at the implication

“What?” Echo asked in disbelief

“Some random clone hit on me last night, Rex punched him when he started to get creepy, and then he walked me home. I let him sleep over because his armor was malfunctioning. The guy threw alcohol on him.”

“That’s... disappointing.” Fives said after a short silence. 

Rex glared daggers at him, but before he could even consider giving Fives even more administrative duty (this time without permission to edit profiles), he was commed by General Skywalker. 

“Rex? I need you in the briefing room. Alone. Don’t let Snips follow you, and tell her that she needs to get her checkup with Kix if you see her”

“Did you hear that?” He asked

“Yeah, I did. See you later” she said, and she went off to the medbay.

After she was halfway down the corridor, she realized that Rex might have needed a warning. But Anakin didn’t seem to hold any murderous intent earlier that morning so she let it slip.

* * *

Rex was let into the briefing room immediately by Cody. Odd, he hadn’t expected his brother here.

“Ah, Rex. You’re here. Cody told me there is something you wanted to ask me something” the General said.

Rex shot his brother a confused look. 

“Remember what I asked you last night just after you left 79’s?” Cody said.

“Right. Sorry, last night was... intense and chaotic” he said, and he could swear the General smirked at that.

Ignoring Skywalker’s smirk, he asked “General, would you please consider promoting me to Commander?” 

“If you’ve got the balls to ask me that after last night, then you’ve definitely proven yourself worthy of that rank. Not that I didn’t think you’d make an amazing Commander before, but I’ve decided to stop giving a kriff about what he Kaminoans say after I found out about the aging chip. Congratulations on your promotion, Commander” 

“Thank you, sir.” Rex said.

“Wait, was last night that bad?” Cody asked.

“No, I had to punch some guy from the 41st who was hitting on our Commander. Looking back on it, I don’t think he knew she’s a Commander. I wasn’t thinking about it though, so I just punched him and brought the Commander back to the Jedi temple.”

“I know you did Rex” the General said. “I was talking about after that”

Rex stiffened at that. Did the General know that he slept over? Was it because of the cloak Ahsoka borrowed?

“What do you mean sir?” Cody asked.

“I found him sleeping in Ahsoka’s bed this morning when I was checking up on her since she overslept. He didn’t wake up at all, so he must’ve been really tired” the General said.

“Wait, Commander Tano overslept and you were still asleep? At what time did you get up to outsleep Commander Tano?” Cody asked his brother. 

“I don’t know, I got to the barracks at 11:00”

“I checked up on Commander Tano at 10:00” Skywalker added

“Why were you asleep at 10:00?” Cody asked

Rex shrugged “I think it was a combination of not sleeping in the barracks and exhaustion”

“Probably not, the whole battalion slept in,” the General said “And the ones that weren’t exhausted woke up after 7. I know because they all send me messages to apologize. I’m worried about that. Do you guys usually wake up at 6:30 without complaint?”

“Yes sir” Cody answered

“It’s like clockwork” Rex added.

“Odd. And today, the whole 501st slept till at least 7:00” Skywalker said. “Rex, do you think it might’ve been the chips?”

“Could be Sir, if this holds up it probably is. I wonder how we’re going to wake up on time when we have too”

“Eh, we could use the announcement system for that. Don’t worry” 

Cody just looked confused “Rex, what chips?”

Before Rex could answer, the General spoke up. “I got this device. It can be used to alter any chips that the Kaminoans implanted and I turned off the one that sped up the aging process. Don’t worry, I’ll do the entire GAR eventually and the 212th is next on the list. I’ll get to you when I can get the process automated and when you’re on leave”

Cody looked stunned but managed to say “Thank you, Sir” before the General dismissed him and told Rex he had an appointment with Kix.

* * *

When Ashoka arrived at the medbay, Kix seemed nervous. He motioned for her to sit down at the desk he was sitting behind. 

“Commander, are you doing okay?” He asked in a worried tone.

“Yeah, I’m fine” she said

“Okay. I’m here if you need to talk to someone privately” the medic offered as he pulled out a box of pills.

“You seem even more worried than usual. Is something wrong?”

Kix sighed “permission to spea-“

“Granted Kix, you don’t have to ask”

“I know, sir. But I’m still afraid to ask this because of the possible implications. It’s just... we lost you at 79’s. When we traced your comm we found out you were back at the temple so we didn’t worry. But now the General ordered me to give you and emergency contraceptive ASAP, so now I’m worried sick. What happened last night, commander?” The medic asked with a worried look

Because Kix looked so worried, she decided not to roll her eyes at her masters actions. “Don’t worry, nothing happened. Rex walked me home and I was perfectly safe”

“But the General insisted you need it. Are you sure nothing happened?”

“Well... I let Rex sleep at the temple because his blacks had been soaked in alcohol and I didn’t want him to walk back to the barracks without them. Skyguy found out he was sleeping over and got the wrong idea”

“That’s a relief. I don’t think you’ll be needing this in that case, but feel free to use them if you think there is any risk” Kix said, as he handed her the box anyway.

When she raised an eye marking at that, he elaborated “I had orders to give you those meds, so I’m giving them to you. He didn’t say you had to take them, so that’s up to you. And maybe they’re good to have, just in case. I could write you a prescription for normal birth control too if you ever want me to. No judgement, I just want you to be safe if you ever decide you want to do that kind of thing. Especially if it’s Rex or one of the other clones”

“Thanks Kix, though I doubt I’ll need it”

“You do sir. We’ve all been sterilized in theory, but in practice you can’t be 100% sure about that. Especially since the vasectomy was done immediately after decantation, which increases the chances of the tubes growing back together. And I’m not sure if the accelerated aging is hereditary, and if it is it might be dangerous for you. Please Sir, be careful” 

“Thanks for the concern, but I’ll be fine. I’m not sleeping with anyone and I’m not planning to any time soon”

“Okay, good to know. That’s all for today” Kix said before turning his eyes back to his schedule. “Weird, you’re scheduled twice. One time for this and the second time for a prescription for condoms? What the heck?”

Ahsoka shrugged and walked towards the door. Kix followed her and opened the door for her. “Bye” she said as she walked into the waiting room where she spotted Rex.

“Hey Captain, what are you doing here?” Kix asked.

“The General send me here for unknown reasons. And it’s Commander now. I just got promoted”

“Kriffin’ finally” Kix said before the realization hit him. “Wait, that explains the double booking”

“How does that explain the double booking?” Ahsoka asked

Kix shot Rex a worried look. “ _Should we tell her about the name?_ ” he asked in mandoa. 

Rex sighed “Fives decided it was funny to give me your last name in my official file. I tried to ignore it until it could be removed but I haven’t found a way yet”

“And thanks to his promotion, both of you are now listed as Commander Tano.” Kix added.

She rolled her eyes. “Well, congratulations on finally getting that promotion _Commander Tano_ ,” she said “now, if you’ll excuse me, I have an arc trooper to look at”

“Look at, sir?” Kix asked

“I’ve been practicing with my impression of Obi-Wan when my master disappoints him and I’m going to follow him around like that for an hour so he knows I’m disappointed in him”

“Ah, so you’re using General Kenobi’s normal expression?” Rex joked

She gave him a lazy salute in acknowledgement before running off the find the unfortunate ARC trooper

Rex looked at her as she left 

“I don’t want to waste anymore time on this” Kix said as he pulled the poor Commander inside his office. 

Rex raised an eyebrow at the medic, who just pushed a box of condoms in his hands “the General ordered me to hand you these, just so we can be 100% you don’t knock up our Commander.”

“Kix, I didn’t-“

“I know Capt- Commander. She told me what happened and I’m not surprised at all”

“You’re not? I was. I hadn’t expected her to want me to stay, much less share a bed”

“Understandable conclusion, but I’m her medic. I’ve had to tuck her in plenty of times so I know she loves to sleep with a warm water bag that’s around 37-38 degrees. I’m not surprised at all that she’d sleep better with someone with that body temperature in her bed. And I’m not surprised she picked you either, with how much she trusts you.” 

“Great, but what are these condoms for if I’m just a heating pad to her?”

“Oh you’re definitely not just a heating pad. I’ve seen the way she looks relieved every time you come back alive. She cares about you”

“She cares about all of us. And you know what I meant.”

“Yeah, but it’s obvious you’re her favorite. And General Skywalker ordered me to give you these condoms just to be sure. He’s terrified of what could happen if you don’t wear a condom and aren’t sterile and if the accelerated aging is hereditary”

“...what could happen then?”

“I don’t know. But it’s gonna be born the natural way, and I doubt that would go well at twice the speed”

“Good point Kix. Though I’m not sure if the accelerated aging is genetic as well, especially not since we found out it can be turned off”

“Yeah, but still. Safety is important”

“I know, though I’m not sleeping with Ahsoka and I don’t want anyone thinking I am”

“That’s fair, Commander. Especially since it would be really easy to rally the whole 501st against anyone who hurts her. Even you. And we should test if the vasectomy held up. Not because I’m concerned about what you’re doing with the Commander. I know it’s not that. But the General might want that peace of mind” 

The Commander sighed. “I’ll consider it, but I’m not too keen on the idea. He might take it as an confirmation that there’s something to worry about here”

“That’s fair. Maybe we should see how he’s doing before we take any more action”

“Exactly my thoughts. Now, if you’ll excuse me I have an arc trooper to see who could some additional sanitation duty” Rex said before leaving the medbay

Kix just shook his head

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please tell me what you think :)


	8. The Hair day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 2536 finally has his first battle and gets named in the aftermath
> 
> After that it’s time for the clones’ haircuts, and Ahsoka keeps them company

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick note on Tup: these events are before he showed up in canon. Like, a few months earlier. He’s still pretty shiny at this point and his hair isn’t as long as it will be by the time of Umbara. It’s not long enough for a full bun but he wears it in a looped ponytail basically

2536 was in a trench and everything was moving way faster than he anticipated. He gunned down the droids just like he did in the simulations, but more droids kept showing up. There were so many of them. The other clones were beside him, gunning down the droids as well. He wasn’t an experienced trooper, but he could tell they were outnumbered and not going to win today.

Part of him knew he was going to die here. He wondered how he’d be remembered, if he was remembered at all. All of his brothers were dead. Well, his original squad was. They had all died in a sim gone wrong during their first sim with live ammo. The Kaminoans told him they’d get him new brothers, but the new batch they put him in didn’t care about him. They never named him or gave him much attention, and usually avoided him. He didn’t know why, he always tried to follow the regulations and be a good soldier. At least the Kaminoans appreciated that, but they’d never been very vocal in their approval -or anything else. 

Things had gone down hill between him and his “brothers” after their first mission after they graduated from Kamino, and were placed in the 212th battalion. He’d missed the first mission entirely because theys never told him which hangar he was supposed to be in and the gunships had left without him. He’d been furious with them, but when they came back he found out that Prance had died, and Nose was blaming him for it. The rest of the squad didn’t help him out either, and Nose had tried to fight him.

General Kenobi had to break up the fight and had taken 2536 apart to talk to him while Commander Cody talked to his “batchmates”. He’d broken down in front of the General and had honestly expected he’d be sent to Kamino or put on the front lines as fodder, but the Jedi seemed to understand his problem and had offered to transfer him to another battalion where he’d be more welcome. He’d agreed, not because he wanted to leave his brothers behind, but because he knew he shouldn’t disagree with a Jedi.

After that he’d been transferred to the 501st and ARC trooper Echo had been watching over him since then, on their long and eventful leave. But now that Commander Tano has recovered from her concussion and they had all recovered from having their accelerated aging stopped (though none of them had regained the ability to wake up at precisely 6:30), he was out there in the trenches without his brothers as the enemy troops advanced on them.

2536 froze in fear as the droids advanced. This was it. He was about to be dead soon. 

Except he wasn’t. Echo had kneeled down next to him and was pushing him. “36, get up. Our evac is here, we’re getting the kriff out of here”

Evac? They were getting evacuated? He didn’t completely understand what he was hearing, why would they evac a company of clones? They didn’t have a Jedi with them. Captain Jesse was already in the LAATi, and was beckoning him to come into the gunship as well. 36 snapped to his senses and got up when he heard Echo cry out in pain. He looked around and saw the ARC trooper on his knees like he’d tried to get up but fell down again. The blood on his thigh plate confirmed it.

He ran back to his brother and put his arm around him. Echo slung his hand across his shoulder and together they made it to the gunship. Jesse helped him pull Echo inside and Kix immediately got to work as the gunship took off. Echo had been right, the medic was calm and soothing when actual injuries were involved.

“Is he going to be okay?” He asked

Without looking up from unbuckling Echo’s belt, the medic said “yeah, he’ll be fine. It’s just a flesh wound” The medic handed him Echo’s Kama. It had a hole in it. The medic removed Echo’s thigh plate and started applying pressure to the wound.

From that moment on, everything seemed like a blur. The landing in the Resolute’s hangar, Echo being rushed off to the medbay, walking back to his bunk still holding Echo’s Kama.

That’s where he was now. sitting on his bunk, with Echo’s Kama in his hands. With a blaster hole in the side. “Damnit 2536” he thought to himself, “why did you let your brother get hurt? Just because you were afraid to die” 

He had to fix this somehow. He looked at his lap. Most of his thigh plates was still shiny and new, but the armor on his knees had a few scrapes. No longer a shiny then. He looked at the Kama. Maybe he should fix it. Even if he wasn’t a medic, he knew how to sew things back together. All clones knew basic medical training in case the medic was down. He could fix the Kama at least.

He had to do something. The hole was too big just sew back together without a patch, so he got one of those black cloths they were all issued to clean with and cut it into a blaster (he had seen a picture of Echo and Fives before they were arc troopers and he knew Echo had a blaster on his thigh). After stitching the patch on the white side of the Kama, he noticed that it wasn’t really obvious that it was a blaster. He used the white thread to add highlights to the blaster. When he was finished, the result actually looked quite nice.

* * *

Echo came back into the barracks the next morning with his replacement Kama and thigh plate already on. 36 was asleep on his bunk with Echo’s Kama next to him. Echo picked up the Kama and looked for the bullet hole. Instead, he found a patch that matched the blaster he had painted on his phase 1 armor for Hevy. He woke up 36. 

“Vod’ika. Did you do this?” 36 blinked slowly as he woke up.

“Yes. I did. I’m sorry. I was just so panicked after you’d been shot. And it was all my fault. I just felt like I had to fix it, but the only thing I could fix was the Kama”

Echo stared at the patch. “This is amazing. Where did you get it?”

“I made it from a cleaning rag”

“That’s amazing. These stitches are beautifully done. Do you want me to put in an order for better supplies?”

“Wait, that’s a possibility?” 36 asked in shock

“Yes, there is a budget for recreational activities. It’s relatively small and most battalions just use it on booze. We usually don’t drink ourselves into a coma during missions like some of the other battalions, so some of it is spend more on hobbies. Do you want some supplies?”

36 nodded and Echo started putting in he order.

“Stitches” 36 said, probably to himself.

“What?” Echo said, not really paying attention as he was doing the paperwork

“I like the sound of that. Do you think it’d be a good name for me?”

“Yes, it fits really well” Echo said, smiling at his younger brother.

Stitches smiled back at him. “Should I introduce myself to everyone now that I have a name?” 

“Not right now, today is hair day. It might be more effective to tell them all at hair day. Let’s just get breakfast first and then do some training”

* * *

“So, do you have any plans for today?” Ahsoka asked during breakfast.

“Just training, Sir. And it’s hair day” Rex answered

“Hair day?” She asked, still curious about hair. 

“Yeah, it’s when we all cut each other’s hair and hang out. Do you want to come too?” She said, smiling at her.

“Thanks for the offer, but wouldn’t I be intruding? It’s not like I need a haircut”

“Of course not. But it’s no big deal, and you can still help out. Tup shows up too, even though he always _conveniently forgets_ to get his own hair cut” he said, “besides, Tup usually ends up doing most of the actual cutting. He might appreciate if you help him“

“I think I’d ruin it” she said.

“You won’t be able to ruin buzzcuts or bald heads, and you can use it as an excuse to touch more hair”

“I don’t need an excuse to touch hair. I could just order you to let me” she joked

“But I know you won’t, so I’m offering an excuse to you. You better take me up on it” he said, now obviously teasing her

She smirked at him “or I can just touch you anyway,” she said, already reaching out “what are you gonna do about it?” 

He didn’t move away like she’d half expected him too, so she touched his hair. It was softer and longer than last time. She’d guess it’s about 2 cm long now. She could still clearly feel the scalp. He didn’t seem to mind. In fact, he was looking straight at her and smiling a little. She gently scratched the back of his head. He leaned into the touch and smiled slightly. 

“Am I intruding on you two lovebirds?” Fives asked, somehow showing up at the worst moment yet again. 

“Nope. Commander Tano was just checking how long my hair was. We were talking about hair day” Rex said. Not a total lie, but he wasn’t going to give Fives any more ammo for this. Right now he was trying to just ignore Torrents teasing. It was no longer his company, he had given it to Jesse after his promotion. But he was still very close to them and didn’t want to leave them behind. Things had only changed on paper. 

“What does Commander Tano have to do with hair day?”, the ARC inquired

“I was curious. Rex said I could come along just to talk with you guys. I think I might take him up on that offer” she said, trying to save Rex from having to make yet another excuse.

“Well, in that case I’m getting both of you for hair day” he said, still smirking to himself

* * *

When Ahsoka arrived in the barracks, the entire ground was covered in dark hair with a few strands of different colors scattered around. Several troopers were getting their hair cut by their brothers. Echo walked in with 2536. 2536 seemed nervous while Echo seemed to be encouraging him. 

“Sorry for the mess, Commander,” Rex said “we usually clean up everything in one go afterwards. It’s easier that way”

“That’s okay, I don’t mind” she said, looking around.

“Do you want to try cutting your boyfriend’s hair?” Fives asked

Ahsoka just ignored him.

“Fine.” The ARC trooper huffed. “Do you want to try cutting Rex’s hair?”

“I’d rather not. I’m afraid I’d mess it up” she said

“Sir, I have a buzz cut. That’s impossible to mess up” Rex said

Fives just turned on the clippers and handed them to her with the guard already attached. Rex just sat down in front of her.

“Are you sure I can’t hurt him accidentally?” She asked, worried but also curious now.

“Yeah, that’s what the guard is for.” Fives said, putting his hand on the buzzing clippers to show that they didn’t cut his skin. “The blades are inside of here, and they can’t reach his skin or the hair that needs to stay. You just put it on his head and move it against the direction in which it’s growing” Fives advised. 

She didn’t really know how to start, so she looked around the room once more. She saw Tup use an identical set of clippers. He imitated the upwards movement he made on the back of his brother’s head on Rex. She looked at the trail of shorter hair she had created. It looked like it was supposed to look. She touched it. It felt coarser and a bit bristly, like it had that day in the medbay. 

“Are you sure I can’t accidentally hurt him? I heard some human girls complain about some boys hurting their hair when I was younger, so I always assumed it’s sensitive.” She asked

“No sir, I you really can’t hurt me like that unless you do something weird” Rex said, amused.

“What would something weird be?” She asked, skeptically

“If you tried to beat me with the clippers” Rex joked

“Or if she tries that one thing the lunatic from the 212th did” Fives snorted.

2536 winched visibly while Echo was cutting his hair.

“I don’t think he meant you, vod’ika” Echo said.

“No, I didn’t. Sorry, I keep forgetting you used to be part of the 212th” Fives said apologetically. “I was talking about Waxer”

“What did he do?” Ahsoka asked while she moved the clippers over Rex’s head a second time

“Let’s just say he doesn’t shave his head” Rex said. Ahsoka looked at Fives for clarification.

“He poured sticky wax on his hair and pulled it out of his head,” Fives said, “He said he had seen it in a civvie commercial that claimed it was faster and easier than shaving. It wasn’t, it was painful as Kriff according to him. Maybe it was different for the civvie woman who did it on her weirdly hairless legs in the commercial, but still. It was an effective way to keep his head bald though. It stayed like that for three weeks instead of the usual three days. It’s how he got his name”

She rolled her eyes and continued with the rest of Rex’s head. Fives had been right, this was way easier than she had imagined, and she was done pretty quickly.

“Thanks, Commander” Rex said

“No problem” She answered

“Permission to speak freely, Commander Tano?” 2536 asked

“Of course,” she paused when she realized she didn’t know how to address him “you don’t have to ask when we’re off duty”

“Yes Sir.” He said, still a bit uncertain. “I just wanted to tell everyone that I have a name now. It’s Stitches”

She smiled “Congratulations on getting a name, Stitches” 

“Thank you, Sir” he said, still a bit too formal for her liking, but she wasn’t gonna push him to be more casual if he wasn’t comfortable with that yet. 

Several other clones, including Rex, swarmed towards Stitches to congratulate him, but Fives just raised and eyebrow and said “I hope he didn’t get that name in a similar way to Waxer”

Tup, who had been standing nearby to check on her work on Rex, visibly winched at that. 

“Getting your hair pulled out isn’t fun.” He said when he saw Ahsoka looking at him for clarification. “Happened to me once. I asked one of my brothers to help me undo the zip tie and he tried to pull it out and I lost a few strands. Since then I’ve started tying my hair up with those rubber bands from packages instead. They’re crappy and don’t last long at all, but they’re easier to remove without scissors”

“How long is your hair without the bun if I may ask?” She asked Tup.

“Uhm... I’d rather not say, sir”

“No worries, vod’ika,” Fives said, “We all know it’s way past regulation now and you won’t be in trouble”

“Yeah, trust me. If Skyguy and I cared about broken regs, Fives would have been back on Kamino by now”

Tup laughed at that and started undoing his “bun” (honestly it was more of a looped ponytail as far as she could tell, but he had called it a bun) and let his hair fall down. It fell to his shoulders in dark brown waves. 

“That’s a lot longer than I expected, but it looks good on you. You should have it down more often.”

“I prefer to keep it in a bun if that’s no problem, sir” he said, running his hand through his hair nervously

“No problem. Though you should probably grow it out a bit more if you want to make a full bun. Senator Amidala knows a lot more about hair than I do. If you want to I can ask her for advice?” She offered

“I don’t know Sir, I don’t think the senator would care about me enough. And it might get you into trouble”

“Don’t worry, I won’t tell her it’s for you. And she told me I could talk to her about any “girl issues” I might have, so I doubt she’d mind if I asked her how to do buns on other people. That’s a thing human girls apparently do regularly” 

“I-if you say so?” Tup muttered. “I mean, I’d appreciate it. But you don’t have to go through all that trouble for me”

“Oh, it’s no trouble” she said.

“She just wants an excuse to touch your hair, vod’ika” Fives said, smirking.

Tup turned back to his Commander. “I don’t have any objections if you want to touch my hair. Just don’t tangle it please”

She smiled at him, said “Thanks Tup” and touched his long dark hair, carefully studying the texture.

* * *

Fives looked around the room. He noticed that the group around Stitches was starting to disband and that Rex was one of the last ones of the group to congratulate him. Fives was going to congratulate him as well, but then he noticed the look in Rex’s eyes. Jealousy. Fives smirked. He knew exactly what to do to get a reaction out of Rex if Rex actually had feelings for her.

“Commander, did you know that facial hair feels different from the hair on our head?” She said, keeping an eye on Rex from the corner off his eye. 

She came straight at him, letting Tup’s hair go.

“No, I didn’t. Let me feel it” She said, already putting her hands on his goatee and the stubble on the rest of his jaw. He glanced at Rex, who was straight up glaring daggers at him. He smirked even wider at the realization that Rex was definitely jealous, and not just a little. Rex’s glare intensified at that. Kriff, he had noticed that he’d been looking at Rex while the Commander was touching his beard. 

“Commander, you could offer Jesse to do his hair as well. He’s hard to mess up too and I’m sure he’d appreciate it” he said. She nodded and walked off immediately. Rex came up to him

“What was that all about?” Rex asked

“I don’t know sir. I just mentioned that facial hair feels different from the hair on top of your head because I figured she’d want to know. Then she grabbed me by the goatee” he said, shrugging

The Commander just glared at him and walked off. He was definitely jealous, Fives thought. Good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading :) as always, kudos and comments are appreciated. They really make my day


	9. The Citadel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anakin and Ahsoka take care of wounded clones after the citadel

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a lot more angsty than the rest of the fic so far, but it’s not _that_ angsty. Canon is angstier. I’m going to include some more canon events from now on, but I’m not gonna be super strict about it and I’m not gonna rewrite anything if it’s gonna be the same as canon. And I’m considering speeding up certain events

Echo ran to the shuttle. He held the shield in front of him to block out the blaster bolts. He heard screaming but he didn’t pay attention, he had a job to do and that job was securing the escape route. Then, he heard an explosion and everything started to turn dark. He was in so much pain. He thought he heard Fives screaming. “Echo!” He didn’t answer, he couldn’t. The voices started to blur together but he could still hear Fives practically scream “no, he’s still alive. I know it!” Before everything went black

Echo was fading in and out of consciousness. He didn’t feel his limbs, except for his left arm. He thought it was around someone’s shoulder, and that person had his arms around his waist. Was it Rex? He honestly wasn’t sure. He knew he had his helmet on and that it was giving him additional oxygen, but he still felt dizzy and strangely at peace. Nothing mattered. The republic, his brothers... vaguely, he remembered that that might mean he’s going into shock or is bleeding out rapidly, but it didn’t matter. Nothing did. He was going to be dead soon anyway.

* * *

Anakin led the clones across the lava streams to the rendezvous point. He wanted to get out of here as fast as possible, but he knew the clones would never keep up with him if he ran at his full, force enhanced speed. But now, they wouldn’t even keep up with his at his normal speed. None of them would leave Rex, who was carrying a very injured Echo. He had lost three limbs when the shuttle exploded, and he’d need to get to a medical station as soon as possible, since the medbay wasn’t equipped to handle this.

Behind him, he heard another clone scream. He turned around to see Rex standing in the lava with his feet stuck. He was already in it to his knees and was clearly too startled to react. After just a second, Rex was pulled out by an invisible force that also lifted Echo. Ahsoka had pulled them out. He could see that the armor had melted and the Kama was burned when Rex landed in Ahsoka’s arms. She levitated Echo to Fives, who immediately held his brother in his arms. Cody moved closer too Ahsoka in case Rex was to heavy for her, but she refused to hand him over and ordered all of them to keep moving.

When they got to the rendezvous, the medevac Anakin had ordered for Echo was already there. However, the warden had tracked them down and was closing in with a squad of commando droids. Fives made for the medevac. Several of the droids tried to shoot at him, but he dodged them without even looking at the droids, and he ran way faster than a clone carrying another clone should. He put Echo inside when one of the droids shot the pilot. Fives continued hooking his brother up to the life support system when Anakin realized he would probably have to evacuate them himself

“Ahsoka, do you think Rex needs med evac too?” He yelled at his padawan

“No, he’s in a lot of pain but it’s all superficial burns on his legs. Kix will need to remove his armor from the burns and he needs to be put in bacta, but we can do that on the Resolute” 

“Okay, then I’m getting Echo out of here. You’re in charge now” he said as he pulled the pilots body out of the ship and jumped in himself. He didn’t even bother trying to remove Fives from the ship, he wouldn’t succeed anyway unless he forced him out of the ship, which he didn’t have time for.

They were chased by a few of the commando droids on speederbikes, but he managed to shake them off. When the air started to get chilly, he used the force to close the hole in the cockpit. Soon, he was in hyperspace and tried to collect his thoughts. He was worried sick about about Rex and Ahsoka, but Echo was his responsibility now and there was nothing he could do about Rex and Ahsoka right now. He trusted his padawan, but still he worried. Though it was nothing compared to the stress he could feel from Fives, who was probably crying. He signaled the medical station as soon as they dropped out of hyperspace, and moved to the hangar.

* * *

When he arrived, he was greeted by a female Kaminoan. Fives came running after him with an unconscious Echo on a gurney. Before either he or the Kaminoan could say anything, Fives said “please tell me there’s something you can do to save him”

The Kaminoan looked at Echo. Her green eyes widened in shock when she saw how badly he was injured. He was lying on his stomach, both legs were gone, the right one above the knee, the left one below. The right arm was torn off above the elbow. His armor was bloody and charred, and shrapnel from the shuttle was stuck in his lung. Her eyes met Fives’, who looked like he was about to cry again.

“I’ve never seen a clone come back this badly injured...” she muttered, probably more too herself than to Anakin or Fives.

“Please ma’am, he’s very important to us” Anakin said, knowing that he had a much better chance of convincing her than Fives, no matter how good he was with giving people puppy eyes.

“I’ll do my best. Bring him to operating room 5, I’ll send in the meddroids to stabilize him” she said to Fives, who ran off immediately to do as he was told

She typed into a data pad (presumably to order the droids to the right room) and then turned to Anakin. “I genuinely don’t know if we can save him, but I’m willing to try out of scientific interest. However, I can guarantee that we won’t be able to salvage his lost limbs”

“That’s okay,” Anakin said, “Echo is smart, he’ll adapt to prosthetics”

“That won’t work, we aren’t allowed to give prosthetics to clones unless we can guarantee that they can get back to fighting within a month. However, I have an alternative in mind”

“What is it?”

“We could transplant new limbs onto him”

“Where would you get those limbs?” Anakin said, skeptically

“One of the clones that we’ve already declared unsalvageable. There are always a few clones that don’t fully regain brain activity, we could use parts from one of those”

“I’m not sure about taking limbs from another clone” Anakin said. 

“You wouldn’t. These clones are already braindead and we can’t keep them on life support if they’re not expected to regain cognitive function.”

“I understand. But if this procedure would work as well as you seem to believe, why hasn’t it been done before?”

“It is an expensive and untested procedure, and usually it’s less expensive to just replace the trooper. However, I’m still in training and I can justify this by saying it was practice for me. We’re allowed to experiment on troopers that aren’t expected to be able to make a full recovery. However, if he makes a full recovery, I can send him back to the front and say that this was just luck. I can’t justify stitching him up and returning him as is. There is no way I could get that by my superiors, since he’d need too much help to survive with only one arm and wouldn’t be able to fight. It just isn’t efficient and he’d have to be euthanized instead”

“Okay, if this is the only option, we’ll do it”

“Excellent!” She said, almost smiling. “I’ll inform the other ARC and get to work”

* * *

Ahsoka stood over the wardens corpse. Captain Tarkin dusted off his uniform and said “Thanks, padawan Tano,” in a condescending tone 

“Our pickup should be here by now” Obi-Wan said. Just as two gunship arrived. Several spider droids showed up. Obi-Wan, Tarkin and the remaining clones jumped into the first gunship. Ahsoka lifted Rex from the ground while Cody jumped on top of one of the droids and shot it in the head, and then he shot a second droid. She put Rex on the floor of the second gunship as Cody got in as well. He briefly regained consciousness and immediately groaned in pain, so she tried to use the force to get him unconscious again. He resisted and got more conscious. Not good. He opened his eyes and looked at her and she could tell he was in a lot of pain. She tried to get him unconscious again, and this time he went out immediately.

“Impressive” Cody commented as he leaned against the rack usually used for AT-RT’s.

“How so?” She asked. “It’s just a healer trick, and one of the simpler ones” 

“Yeah, maybe. But it’s similar to a mind trick, and we’ve been trained to resist those no matter what. Ignoring that training is hard. It took me nine months to get used to General Kenobi sedating me like that. Trusting someone enough to let them take control of your mind is hard”

Ahsoka blushes a bit at that. “It’s nice to know he trusts me that much. Thanks Cody. But don’t tell any of the 501st”

“Why not, if I may ask sir?”

“Because Fives started a rumor that we’re more than just friends and it’s getting annoying. I don’t want Rex’s unconditional trust in me to be used as ammo for Fives’ conspiracies”

“Good point sir. May I speak freely?” 

“Of course Cody, no need to ask”

“I’d approve if you were with my brother. You obviously care for him as a person and it’s obvious he’s happy with you as his CO. And I know you wouldn’t break his heart like most of those civvies do”

“I’ll take that as a compliment, though I’m not together with Rex. The Jedi code forbids attachment”

“Ah right. We all assumed you didn’t care, like General Skywalker”

“So the 212th is aware of that as well,” she sighed “though I’m curious, what did you mean with those civvies?”

This time, Cody sighed. “Some civvies flirt with us at 79’s. Usually it’s just a one night thing, but some pretend like they’re interested in something more serious. Usually, my brothers end up smitten pretty easily as soon as they say stuff like how they’ll never leave them. Loyalty is very important to all of us. Those civvie girls make big promises about how loyal they’ll be, but that’s before they find out how bound we are to the republic and that we’re rarely on leave. So they dump the poor vod for a civilian who isn’t pretty much always deployed”

“Ah, I didn’t know. That I does explain why that clone hit on me at 79’s” she said, recalling that evening on her 16th birthday

“Yeah, that’s pretty much the only reason for civvie women to come to 79’s, so he must’ve assumed you were interested. Most women aren’t picky at all. One of the few exceptions is a weird twilek girl who just wants Rex to be her boyfriend. I wouldn’t have much of and issue with it if she was just interested in what’s under his armor, but she wants something more serious. Not out of genuine love, she just likes him for the novelty factor of his mutation. I doubt she’ll stay with him after that gets boring. And I’ve seen too many brothers die from a broken heart. Usually they’ll be off their game during their next - and usually last - campaign. I won’t let that happen to Rex”

“I understand. I met the twilek girl too”

“Knowing her that didn’t go well. What happened?”

“She got really jealous and tried to hook me up with Fives instead”

“Darn, she went easy on you. Usually, she’ll fight any girl who talks to Rex”

“She assumed I was new and didn’t know he was hers. So she’ll probably fight me next time”

“I’m looking forward to it, especially since Rex will now be able to tell Fox to kriff off after a barfight. Though I’ll probably be there too if I can, I want to see this fight”

“It’ll be easy, I’ve learned from the best” she said, winking at Cody since he was the one who taught her hand to hand.

“Yeah. I appreciate the sentiment of wanting to fight for my brother. It’s why I’d approve if you change your mind. I’ll also get Kenobi off your tail” 

“Thanks, Cody.” She said, not wanting to start the whole “I’m not dating Rex” speech again. “He told me you’re batchmates by the way. I didn’t know that”

“He told you? That’s unexpected. He usually doesn’t talk about it. He didn’t want people to think of him as a failed commander”

“Okay. I personally don’t care where he comes from. I like him either way” she said, as she stroked the Rex’s hair.

Cody raised an eyebrow at her, and she rolled her eyes at him. “It’s just to keep him calm” 

“Whatever you say, sir” Cody replied as the gunship landed in the Resolutes main hangar

* * *

Anakin was sitting in the waiting room alone. Fives had originally been waiting there with him, but had eventually decided that he couldn’t just be idle so he was at the shooting range. He had taken the news of the transplant better than expected. In fact, he was elated that Echo might actually survive his injuries and hadn’t seemed to mind taking limbs form one of his dead brothers at all. But waiting had never been his thing. 

When the door to the operating room opened, the Kaminoan came out. “How’s Echo?” Anakin asked before she could say anything.

“Still in surgery. I replaced all three limbs and his lung had sustained a lot of damage too. It will heal correctly as long as he’s breathing normally with it, so he’ll need to be on bed rest for 6 weeks. The limb transplant went well, and the meddroids are surturing up the skin as we speak. I expect he’ll make a full recovery”

“Thank you so much, doctor....“ Anakin said before realizing he didn’t know wat her name was. 

“Dr. Lara Se” she said

“Nice to meet you. Are you related to Nala Se?” 

“I am, she’s my aunt. She’s the one who got me this job” 

“Okay. Well, thanks again for saving Echo. It means a lot to all of us”

“The pleasure is all mine, I’ve wanted to do a transplant since I was the same height as the clones. Which was 1.20 by the way, they were still that small when I was younger”

“Why didn’t you get the opportunity earlier?”

“I had to work in the GAR division instead. I wanted to create replacement organs. I prefer saving lives over creating soldiers to fight in this _war,_ ” she said, with an audible scoff at the war that had brought great profit to her planet. “The clone troopers are more lucrative than organ transplants so we stopped those in favor of creating more troopers” she said, looking down at the ground.

“Well, I think that’s an admirable goal” he offered. Honestly, this Kaminoan didn’t seem bad at all. 

“You’re the first one to say that, General?”

“Skywalker”

“ _The_ Skywalker?”

“The one and only”

“It’s nice to meet you. I’ve heard a lot about the clones in your battalion”

“Hopefully good things?” Anakin asked

“Actually, not really. I heard the majority of the battalion is defective but still somehow one of the most effective. They’re also the only battalion that regularly complains about food” 

“Yeah, the rations are pretty terrible” he confirmed. 

Her datapad beeped. “That’s our signal that Echo is coming out of surgery. You should get the other ARC here so he can be there when his friend wakes up.

* * *

Echo woke up from the bright lines shining in his eyes. He felt horrible, like he had been under general anesthesia for hours. Which was probably true, since he was in a medical cot and Fives, General Skywalker and an unfamiliar Kaminoan were looking at him.

“Echo?” Fives asked nervously.

“Hi?” He said, and Fives immediately crawled into the cot and put his arms around him. He tried to put his arms around his brother to return the hug, but his right arm felt off, like he had too many stitches in it. When he looked at it, he noticed that he had, and that his arm and legs had splints on them. “What had happened to him?” He wondered as he hugged Fives back with his good arm.

The Kaminoan smiled at him, which was odd. He’d never seen a longneck actually smile. 

“You were severely injured during the last mission, but you’re expected to make a full recovery.”

“How?” Echo asked.

“Transplants.” She said with a smile on her face.

Echo didn’t fully understand what she was saying, since he was still too numb from the anesthesia, but he knew he was gonna be alright

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys enjoyed it :) thank you all so much for the positive feedback :D


	10. The Burns

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ahsoka treats Rex’s burns, and then Barriss makes it awkward.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this chapter is a bit less PG than the rest of the fic. I think this can still pass as T, but I’m not 100% sure. Mild nudity ahead anyway, though. If you guys think I should change the rating I will. Also there is a mention of sexual assault. Nothing happens, but some regs about it are mentioned. In case someone is sensitive about it.

Ahsoka carried Rex to the medbay. Cody had offered to help, but she had declined. It was quicker to just carry him by herself and have Cody run ahead to open doors.

When she entered the medbay, Kix had already prepped the medbay for the emergency. She put Rex on the table and Kix immediately started to dekit him. The top half of his armor came off easily, but she could see Kix become pale when he looked at Rex’s legs. The plastoid armor had melted, and the joints were completely locked. He just had two solid plastoid casts on his legs.

Kix looked at her “I... I don’t know what to do here...” 

Ahsoka looked at him in shock “What do you mean?”

“Well, I need to cut off his leg armor. But it has probably melted onto his skin, so his skin will be severely damaged. He’ll need to be in a bacta tank, but we don’t have any free bacta tanks at the moment.”

“Does he need to be in a tank? Or could we just submerge his legs?” She asked

“We could, but I don’t know where we’d do that. Do you?”

“I do, I have a collapsible bath tub in my quarters. Would that work?”

“Yeah, but I’m not allowed to do that. It would count as malpractice. I could put him under your care, you’re allowed to do it”

“Why would I be allowed to do it? I don’t have the medical training you do” She said with suspicion

“Because Jedi basically have legal immunity in the republic. You also own him, at least according to the longnecks who made the reg manuals” Kix said with clear annoyance in his voice. “You should probably set up the tub in your quarters though, I can’t justify putting him under your care if he’s in my medbay”

“Okay,” she said, “Come on Cody. I need your help assembling the thing.”

“Yes sir” he said, as he followed her to her quarters.

* * *

She looked over the tub she had constructed with Cody. It was an odd thing, made out of a storage crate that was sawn in half. Both half’s were connected with military grade tarp that was clearly taken from a standard issue tent. It was also held in place by poles from the same tent that held the two sides of the box apart. It had a drain installed and the lid of the box was also sawn in half and was screwed underneath the halves of the box to act as legs. It was crude, but it worked and could still be folded into the size of a storage crate. Cody still seemed to feel uncomfortable about it though

“What’s wrong?” She asked him.

“Nothing,” Cody said before he seemed to remember that Commander Tano genuinely wanted his opinion, so he continued “it’s just a weird bathtub and I have no idea why anyone would make something like that”

“I don’t know either. Skyguy made it because he thought I needed to have a bath tub. I asked him why and he just shrugged and told me that all girls had bath tubs. Like he talks much to any other woman than Senator Amidala, who is very much a fan of baths. I appreciate the sentiment but it’s too much work to put up, and I have a working shower.”

“Okay then. Let’s hope it holds up”

“Let’s hope so” She said as she unpacked the bacta supplies. There was a pump that would also keep the bacta warm, as well as additional heaters. After they were done, she led a hose from her fresher to the tub while Cody cut open the bags of raw bacta. She wrinkled her nose at it, the smell was intense and it looked like ballistic gel. She slowly added the water so the bacta could dissolve at a steady pace. Cody stirred occasionally and then called Kix to tell him they were ready to put Rex in if he was. Cody then excused himself from the room to retrieve Rex from the medbay.

When Rex was carried into her quarters by Kix and Cody, he wasn’t looking good. He was loosely wrapped in a white sheet from the waist down and still mostly sedated. They put him in the bacta and Cody strapped him to the edge of the tub so he wouldn’t sink and drown in the bacta. Kix handed her several boxes of medical supplies. Painkillers, a sedative, bandages “just in case they were needed”. He also handed her several ration bars but told her that she could feed him something else if she wanted too. Kix instructed her to check the temperature of the bacta regularly and to check if the wounds on his knees and ankles were healing every eight hours.

* * *

After that, she was left alone with Rex. Not knowing what to do, she just sat down and looked at him. He looked like he was about to wake up from the sedation soon. She decided to look underneath the sheet at the injuries. She took a deep breath before moving the sheets up to his thighs and then she sighed in relief. It wasn’t as bad as she’d imagined. Most of his skin looked fine, except his ankles and knees. They had pretty bad burns and some of the skin on his knees had been cut away in some places, but the wounds were clean and shallow. He’d be fine.

“He survived worse” she thought, looking at the pale scar on his chest. Even though Kix had been quick to apply a bacta patch, there was still some light scarring. It wasn’t that bad though, the skin just looked paler and smoother. She stretched out her hand to feel if it was actually as smooth as it looked. She couldn’t feel much because her hands were slippery from the bacta, but Rex seemed to notice that she was touching him. 

“Commander?” He said, clearly not fully conscious yet. “What happened?”

“You fell into lava and have some minor burns on your legs. You’re lucky I managed to pull you out immediately” she said as she touched his face to check his temperature. He felt normal.

Still a bit dazed, he lifted up the sheet and stared at his lap. “Why am I in a bath of bacta?” He said, looking confused “is this your room?”

“Yes, you needed to be put in a bacta tank, but the medbay was full. Are you in pain?” 

“No sir, not if I don’t move” 

“Okay, here’s some painkillers and rations if you want”

“Thank you Sir” he said, as he took the pain killers and put the rations next to the bath so he could eat them when he was hungry.

“I’ll get you something better as well, wait here” she said, before mentally slapping herself. Of course he was going to stay there, he couldn’t walk. Even if he managed to ignore the pain in his legs, he’d slip on the bacta.

In the mess, she got a lot of those pre-packaged sandwiches in case Rex didn’t want to eat them all immediately. 

When she returned to her quarters, she found Rex fast asleep in the tub. She smiled, and put the sandwiches next to the rations, and wrote him a non-urgent text message. “Wake me up if you need help”. She then put his comm and datapad next to the tub on the other side. She briefly considered changing in the shower, but the door was too loud and it would probably wake him up. He needed his rest, and being sedated was no replacement for sleeping. So she just changed in front of him and went to bed as quietly as possible.

* * *

Ahsoka woke up to someone knocking on her door. She sat up and immediately checked how Rex was doing. He was still in the tub, fully awake and eating a sandwich while he looked at her and shrugged. She sighed and got to the door, opening it a little bit so the unexpected visitor wouldn’t get a full view of the room. It was Barriss.

“Hi Barriss, how are you doing?” She asked.

“I’m doing well, thank you. I’m here to assist you with force healing. Are you and the patient ready?”

“What?” She asked, still not completely awake, but Barriss pushed past her and into her room. “Where is the-“ she noticed Rex sitting in the tub, in the middle of her room, with a half eaten sandwich in his hand. 

Barriss quickly regained her composure and asked Ahsoka “is this the patient?”

“Yes, this is Rex. My fellow Commander. We were out of bacta tanks in the medbay so we put him in a tub here” she said, unsure of where this was going. Rex looked confused as well.

“Okay, why is he in bacta?” Barriss asked

“Because his legs got burned” Ahsoka said, still skeptical.

“Your master gave you a burn patient for your first time?” Barriss asked, clearly confused. “He’s even more unconventional then I thought. It’s good that he’s in bacta then, he’ll heal even if you don’t succeed.”

“Wait, what? My master didn’t send him here, Kix did. Because he was out of bacta tanks. And apparently I’m allowed to just put him in a bath tub, while Kix isn’t”

“Oh. Well, I suppose it can’t hurt to teach you anyway” she said with a smile, as she stuck her hands in the bacta and pulled up the sheet till it was above his knees. 

“Hold on,” Ahsoka interrupted. “Shouldn’t you ask Rex first?” 

“No need, Commander. I trust you” he said

“Yeah but I don’t trust myself. I’ve never done this before” Ahsoka argued

“You aren’t the one healing it though,” Barriss said, “you’re only encouraging the natural healing process with your own energy”

“Won’t that tire her out?” Rex asked.

“Yes, it will. But with practice, you’ll become efficient at it, and it becomes much easier.” Barriss said, turning to Ahsoka. “Do you want to try it?”

Ahsoka considered it and shot Rex a look. He didn’t look like he was going to object, he was just patiently awaiting her decision. “Okay, I will.” She said, sitting down next to the tub. 

“Excellent,” Barriss said “do you want to start with his feet?”

“Okay” Ahsoka said. 

“Put your hands in the bacta, and let them hover over his foot” Barriss instructed. “Now, imagine the burns healing. Push your energy into the wounds and let it repair the damage”

Ahsoka tried it, but the burns didn’t change

“You need to focus more” Barriss offered.

“Which would be a lot easier if you weren’t staring me down” she said in an irritated tone. 

“Okay, I’ll be outside reading the medic’s report then. When I’m back, I’m expecting progress.” Barriss said as she left the room with the datapad Kix had brought.

“Are you okay?” Ahsoka asked Rex.

“Yes sir. Just a bit startled by the unexpected turn of events”

“Okay. Are you sure you’re okay with me healing you?”

“Yes sir. Like I already said, I trust you completely. You wouldn’t harm me”

“Not on purpose, but what if I mess up?”

“...how bad can you mess this up?”

“I might accidentally pull the wound closed instead of healing the tissue. That’s why we usually practice on plants first”

“Okay. I’ll warn you if it feels wrong” he said as he laid back and tried to relax.

He’d been force healed before, by General Kenobi. He also had been thrown with the force on multiple occasions, the worst one being that time Commander Tano and General Skywalker threw him of that wall. He wasn’t upset about that anymore. He had been at first, but he later realized that there hadn’t been another viable option to get him down before the wall blew up, and that that was why they had ordered him to stay behind in the first place. So he knew what being pulled on with the force felt like, and what healing felt like. He’d be able to tell her how she was doing.

She put her hands in the bacta and started trying to heal his burned feet. He could feel the familiar tingling sensation a lot sooner then he expected.

“That’s feels like it’s working” he said. She smiled at him and continued. If he was honest with himself, she looked absolutely adorable right now. From her furrowed brow as she focused on his foot, to the way she smiled as she saw the tissue repair itself. He wasn’t going to be honest with himself though. She was his CO and friend, and nothing more

She looked over his foot and then looked up at him. “Does it feel better now?”

“Yes, definitely. Can you do my other foot and knees too?”

“Sure, that’s everything right?”

“Well... I got burned above my right thigh plate by a spat of lava. But I think it’s better to just let the bacta handle that. For obvious reasons”

She laughed “yeah, Fives wouldn’t shut up about it if he found out” 

He smiled back. He honestly hadn’t even considered Fives. He had mostly been thinking about how she couldn’t get to the wound without seeing his dick, and that was a big no-go. All the troopers knew that being naked and uncovered in front of anyone except their brothers and doctors was inappropriate, and showing it to a CO (especially female) would result in a court martial at best and being send back to Kamino for reconditioning at worst. Why this rule exists, he didn’t know. To him, it didn’t matter if anyone saw him naked and he didn’t care if other people were naked. But rules were rules.

* * *

Five minutes later, Ahsoka had finished healing his legs and called Barriss back inside. She looked Rex over and then turned towards Ahsoka. “You did well on his legs, but you missed a spot according to his file” she said as she pulled the sheet away with the force. Ahsoka visibly flinched and looked away. Kriff. He immediately covered his junk with his hands, but Commander Offee was still looking at him. 

“Commander , remove your hands and let your Ahsoka look at the injuries. That’s an order.” He slowly removed his hands as Offee was almost forcing Ahsoka to look at him. When he saw his junk her eyes widened a bit, so he dropped his gaze to avoid eye contact. When he looked at his own lap, he noticed the burn on his upper thigh. He hadn’t seen it before, only felt it. It looked way worse that it felt. A round wound, surrounded by pale, bacta soaked skin was showing the tissue underneath it, red and angry. Kix had clearly been forced to practically flay the area.

“You didn’t tell me it was this bad” Ahsoka said, with clear horror on her face.

“I didn’t want to make you feel uncomfortable, sir” he offered, fully aware that she was still staring in the direction of his penis

“Well, if you’re going to learn healing, you’ll have to get over this kind of thing,” Offee said. “I’ll leave you alone with him again. Make sure he’s healed, and then we’ll bring him to the medic together”

Ahsoka nodded and sat down next to the tub as Offee left. She looked up at him.

“Sorry for not offering help sooner, I didn’t know it was this bad. And if you don’t want my help that’s okay, I can imagine that this is awkward already”

“Don’t worry Sir, I’m fine” he lied. He wasn’t fine. He was fine with her healing him and with her seeing his junk, but he knew he was going to be reconditioned if anyone found out about it. And Kix was definitely going to notice if he was brought to him, and Kix had to write it in his file. And the Kaminoans would be able to see it there. But he said nothing about it, she was either ignoring it as well or didn’t know. Either way, he wasn’t going to break her concentration now. 

She was definitely breaking his though. Even though she wasn’t touching him, he could feel her movements through the bacta. He could also feel her healing his thigh, which felt pretty similar to her physical touch. He tried to ignore the feeling of her hands moving around near his inner thigh, but his dick wasn’t planning on that.

He turned red when he noticed Ahsoka had stopped and looked at him. He had no way to hide his boner, no where to run to. He just froze.

“I’m sorry sir, I didn’t mean to-“

“it’s okay Rex, I’m not upset. I know those things just happen.”

“But Sir, this is beyond inappropriate and I-“

“Rex, stop. It’s awkward, but that’s it. I just want to fix this so we can avoid another awkward encounter with Barriss” 

“Yes sir” he got out, but he still wasn’t calming down. He know that this was a horrible offense that he’d be punished for if found out. When she was done he was shaking. She offered him her hand and helped him up from the bacta, holding him steady while she looked him over.

“Maybe you should take a shower to get the bacta off” she said as she guided him to the showers. He followed her, even though his legs felt like noodles. Once there, she connected the shower to the pipes again.

“Take your time Rex, I’ll fetch your armor in the meantime” she said as she left. His armor. Great. Normally, he’d associate his armor with safety. But he knew it wouldn’t be the full set until the molten parts were replaced, and no leg armor usually looked weird. Not that it mattered, he might be reconditioned before the replacement plates were requested. He turned on the hot water and let the bacta wash off of him.

When Commander Tano came back with his armor, he still didn’t know what to say to her. She handed him his underwear and blacks through the door and he put them on with some difficulty. His legs felt weak and he was still trembling. He took a deep breath before getting out. Commander Tano was sitting on her bed with his helmet on her lap and his armor next to her. Which included replacements for the damaged parts, way faster then expected. 

“Rex, sorry for that whole ordeal with Barriss” she said, looking down. 

“Sir, I’m the one at fault here. You have nothing to apologize for”

“Yes I do, I decided to heal the injury on your upper thigh and I ignored that you were clearly uncomfortable” 

“That doesn’t matter Sir. You didn’t make me uncomfortable, but regs are very clear on what I did”

“You didn’t do anything” she said.

“Yes, I did. This counts as sexual assault according to the regs, and I’ll accept whatever consequences you see fit, sir.”

She just stared at him. “Let me see those regs”

He grabbed her datapad and looked up the relevant section for her. While she was reading, he started kitting up again. When he put on his cod piece, she looked up at him.

“This is a load of nerfdung. Come on, I’ll get you back to Kix” she said as she handed him his plackart. He put it on and she handed him his cuirass as well. When he was putting it on, he suddenly felt her arms around his waist. He put the cuirass on and looked down to see her fastening his Kama for him. That was... nice? He moved on to his pauldrons and when he bend over to grab the rerebraces, she put on his command wing for him. He didn’t know how to react so he just gave her his half grin and moved on to the gauntlets. When he had them on, she handed him his bucket and he put it on. Finally, he could hide his face. He was too confused now to react properly anyway. 

When she opened the door, Commander Offee was already waiting there. 

“How did it go?” She asked. 

“Fine,” Ahsoka said. “Could you bring him back to Kix?”

“Of course. Follow me Commander”

“Yes sir.” He said as she walked towards the medbay. He looked at his Commander, but she was already walking off. Judging by the way she stomped a bit at every step in a way that made her back lekku bounce a bit, she was livid but trying to hide it. When she turned the corner, he looked away and followed Commander Offee to the medbay

* * *

Ahsoka was still fuming when she burst onto the hangar where Anakin was talking to Fives and Echo about the plans on Echo’s rehabilitation. She noticed that he had casts where he used to miss limbs, but she was too distracted to question it now. She’d get to that later. 

“Skyguy, we have to talk”

Anakin turned around “about what snips? What’s wrong?

“It’s about chapter 1, section 25, paragraph 3 of the reg manual.”

Anakin shot her a confused look, but Echo turned his power chair towards her

“Commander, if you want me to organize a group to beat someone to a pulp, I’ll do it. I’ll get all of torrent, maybe some others too. I won’t ask any questions besides who, when, how and where.”

“What are you talking about?” Anakin asked.

Ahsoka said to Echo “don’t worry, it’s not like that. And you’re still recovering, please don’t overexert yourself. I have a problem with the regs itself,” she turned to Anakin “master, I found out that the regs count being walked in while naked on as sexual assault”

“That’s a bit exaggerated, but why is it an issue? Did one of the men try to walk in on you in the fresher?” Anakin said.

“No, master. But that’s not what’s I’m implying. _They’ll_ get in trouble if I walk in on _them_. And with trouble I mean a court martial or reconditioning”

“What?!?!” Anakin practically yelled “Echo, is this true?” He asked the ARC trooper angrily

“Yes sir. We’re not allowed to be indecent around Jedi, civilians or any nat for that matter unless they give us explicit permission beforehand or the order to kit down. No exceptions”

“Even if it’s an accident?”

“Yes sir. Like I said, no excuses” 

Anakin looked like he was about to explode at that, so Ahsoka had to distract him before he did. “We should ask Obi-Wan. He’s the one who’s good at getting regs changed”

“I’ll help with reading the regs” Echo offered. “I know you don’t like reading them and I need something to do while recovering. It would be amazing if I can just read reg manuals” 

“Thanks for your sacrifice Echo” Ahsoka said.

“It’s no problem, Commander. I genuinely enjoy it” Echo said as Fives grabbed him in a headlock while ruffling his hair affectionately.

“Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a Commander that needs to be informed he won’t be court martialed or reconditioned” she said, before walking away. Though not before noticing the way both Fives and Anakin smirked at her.

* * *

Rex nodded a polite goodbye to Commander Offee and entered the medbay.

“Rex? How are you walking again? You were supposed to be in bacta for another 12 hours at least” Kix asked in surprise when he spotted the commander

“It doesn’t matter. I’m gonna be gone soon” he said as he said down on the examination table. 

“What do you mean?”

“Commander Offee decided that Commander Tano should heal me with the force, and I messed up. I’ll probably be send back to Kamino”

“What? I didn’t know Commander Tano could heal with the force. What happened?”

“She did great, but that’s not what I’m worried about. Commander Offee removed the sheet. I’m going to die”

Kix fell silent for a few seconds.

“So she saw...”

“Yes! And she never said she wanted to see that. She healed me, I apologized and told her that I knew what happened was wrong. And then she let Commander Offee walk me here while she stomped off angrily! She probably hates me, but I’m going to be reconditioned now so it doesn’t matter anymore.”

“I doubt the Commander hates you, Rex. You’re her best friend. I’m sure it’ll be alright”

“She was livid, Kix. ”

“Even if she’s upset, I don’t think she’d want you reconditioned. She wouldn’t wish that in her worst enemies” The medic argued

“I don’t care about being reconditioned, _Kix_ , I deserve that for what I did to her.”

“Are you really telling me that you’re more concerned about her wellbeing after seeing you naked than you being _reconditioned?_ ”

“Yeah, that’s exactly what I’m saying”

“...so Fives was right?” Kix asked with a raised eyebrow

“What. No, of course not. I don’t feel anything of that nature. I’m just being a loyal soldier. None of us could live with ourselves if we hurt the commander” Rex said, taken aback by the implication.

“I cope just fine. She’ll live.” Kix said, shrugging.

“What did you do to her?” Rex asked, appalled at what Kix was implying.

“Stabbed her with a needle after she got a deep cut. Speaking of which....” He said as he grabbed a syringe from his drawer. Rex immediately recognized it as a Tetanus booster shot. Great. He started taking of his top armor.

“Sir, I’m gonna give it to you straight. I think you need to think about how you feel about Ahsoka. And if you do have feelings for her, tell her. Even if she doesn’t feel the same way, it’s better to be rejected than to live the rest of your life wondering about what if’s.” Kix said as he administered the vaccine. 

Before Rex could protest, there was a knock at the door. Kix pushed a button on his vambrace and the door opened to reveal a slightly nervous looking Commander Tano.

“What can I do for you sir?” Kix asked

“I wanted to talk to Rex”

“No problem sir. I’ll put a Bandaid on him and then he’s good to go” he said, as he grabbed the bandaid and put it on Rex’s shoulder before leaving the room.

“How are you?” She asked as she sat down next to him.

“I’m fine, sir.” He said.

“Stop lying to me, I know you’re not. Skyguy is going to change the regs, I won’t let them recondition you”

“You don’t have to change the regs just for me, sir. I’m not that special”

“I didn’t change them for you. The regs were unreasonable. But you are that special,” she said, “and don’t you ever forget that”

“Sir, I put you through a lot with my indecency. How can you forgive me so easily?”

“It wasn’t that bad Rex. Just seeing it won’t scar me for life like the regs implied. It was just awkward because I know I was supposed to respect your privacy by not looking at it, but it was hard to not look at it”

“How so? It isn’t that interesting, it looks the same as anyone else’s”

“No, it doesn’t. At least, for not with nats. Though I wouldn’t know, I haven’t actually seen anyone but myself naked until today. I suppose that’s why I got curious. I’m sorry”

“It’s okay Sir, I’m not upset. I genuinely don’t care if you see me naked. I was just scared of the consequences”

“You’ll be fine, Rexster. And nothing has changed between us. You’re still my best friend” she said as she wrapped her arms around his bare shoulders

He wrapped his arms around her in return, even though his shoulder was still sore from the booster shot, and just held her for a good minute.

“I’m glad Fives isn’t here” she muttered in his ear.

“Yeah, he’d never let me live this down either” he said as he let her go. “I genuinely don’t know what to do about it. If I say anything about it, he’ll just interpret it as denial. He’ll probably do the same if you do. And General Skywalker doesn’t do anything against it.”

“I know, my master thinks we’re together as well.”

“And he hasn’t killed me?”

“No, he promoted you”

“So I basically slept my way up the command chain without sleeping with anyone?”

Ahsoka laughed at that. “No, he considered if he should kill you but decided that if you’d make a good padawan in law, and then he realized you’d make a good Commander too”. At least, that’s what he told me”

Rex smiled at that. Even if the padawan in law part was weird and awkward, he appreciated the sentiment.

“I don’t think Fives and the General will stop this unless they want to stop”

“We could just pretend to be a couple openly and just be really weird about it until they stop liking it and then we’ll break up” she said, chuckling .

He laughed at that “‘Soka, that’s ridiculous.”

She smiled at him “I know, but I’m glad that you’ve relaxed a bit from bantering like before this whole citadel thing”

Rex suddenly remembered how he ended up in the bacta in the first place. “Did... did Echo make it?”

“Yeah, I saw him on the bridge just now. He’s in a powerchair but he’s expected to make a full recovery apparently. It looks like he has limbs again”

“What? But he lost three limbs and prosthetics take more than just a day to create.” Rex said, more to himself than to Ahsoka. “Are you sure they haven’t just replaced him?”

“I am. Even if I couldn’t feel his presence in the force, I’d be sure. Do you really think a random shiny would be exited to read my master a reg manual?”

Rex chuckled “I guess not. I should probably go see him myself and ask him about it”

“You should. And I should clean up the tub. I’ll see you later!”

As she walked out of the medbay, he gave a relieved sigh. She didn’t hate him. Everything would be alright for now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, that was it. I hope you guys liked it :)
> 
> Btw, this was kind of inspired by medical mysteries, a blyla fic written by subtropicalStenella. Which is a lot worse in terms of how bad the injuries are but also more explicit in the good way. I’m gonna put it in my bookmarks if you wanna find it


	11. The Nightmare

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rex has a nightmare that doesn’t stop when he wakes up. Luckily, they know how to fix the issue

The thick Felucian jungle surrounded him as he scouted ahead. He knew his Commander and the rest of his company was behind him somewhere, but he couldn’t see them. Why he was back on this planet he didn’t know. He did know he had to find the droids that where hiding somewhere. He couldn’t rely on sight, since it was dark and all he could see was the fluorescent flora. He couldn’t hear the droids either. They were silent. Everything was silent. Except his comm.

He opened the hologram and saw an unrecognizable yet familiar looking human in a dark cloak. “Commander Rex. The time has come. Execute Order 66”

Without thinking, he answered “yes my Lord” and turned around. He crept back to the camp.

When he arrived there, he found the Jedi alone. She was meditating on top of a crate, away from her men. Perfect, he could make it quick. He took aim, but she noticed him standing behind her. She turned around and smiled at him. He hesitated for a second, but good soldiers follow orders. He pulled the trigger.

Her limp body fell off the crate, out of sight. Now, he and his brothers were safe. He knew something terrible would happen if he’d let the traitor live. He walked over and looked at her body. He knew she had to die, but it felt wrong. This wasn’t how it was supposed to be. Killing the traitor should’ve been a relief, but all he felt was guilt over killing his Commander, his best friend, his love.

* * *

He woke up in a cold sweat. It was just the nightmare, but it had been worse this time. Or better. He couldn’t tell if the distress he had felt at Ahsoka’s prone corpse had been an improvement or not. On one hand, he felt more like himself now. On the other hand, he wasn’t sure if he wanted to be to sleep again. The memory was bad enough as it is, he didn’t want to relive it again. He kitted up and went to the shooting range.

Once there, he tried to keep his mind of off seeing his Commander dead on the soggy moss of Felucia by shooting the moving targets at the highest setting until he was exhausted. Halfway through, he was interrupted by Commander Tano walking in.

“Rex? What’s wrong?” She asked, clearly not fully awake herself.

“Nothing, Sir. I just had a bad dream. You should go back to sleep” he said, still not feeling like he was fully awake.

“But it’s morning. You should get breakfast with me and the boys”

“I’m fine Commander. I’ll get breakfast after I’m done here.”

As she turned to walk away, he heard his commlink go off. When he activated the hologram, he froze.

There was the familiar cloaked figure. “Commander Rex. The time has come. Execute order 66”

He wanted to hesitate, but “it will be done my lord” came out of his mouth before he could stop it. She turned back around at the sound of his voice and looked at him with her head tilted. It was something all clones did to show interest and curiosity, and she must’ve picked it up form them

He aimed his DC at Ahsoka. She didn’t look scared at all, she just shot him a confused look and stepped forward. She grabbed his wrist and gently pushed the shaking blaster down.

“Rex, what’s wrong?” She asked. He couldn’t meet her eyes. He had to kill her. Good soldiers follow orders.

He forced himself to look up. He couldn’t shoot her if he wasn’t looking at her. She was looking straight into his visor, completely unafraid even though he just pointed a gun at her. He couldn’t do it, she still trusted him after he pointed a gun at her. He couldn’t betray her, not even for the Republic.

“We have to go, now” he ordered. She just shot him an even more confused look. He ignored her confusion and just grabbed her, hoisting her on his shoulder, and then he ran to the escape pods. When he got there, all the pods were locked down. He put Ahsoka down and tried to open the doors.

“Rex, what’s going on?” Ahsoka asked

“The Jedi have betrayed the republic, and we’re supposed to execute them all. I’m getting you out of here” he said, giving up on the first pod and moving on to the second one

“What are you talking about? When did this happen?”

“Just now, when I got the call to execute order 66”

“What call? Rex-“

She was interrupted by Jesse, who had just rounded the corner “hey vod, what’s going-“

Rex aimed his blaster to his brother, set to stun and pulled the trigger. Jesse fell to the ground.

“I’m sorry brother, but I can’t let Ahsoka die” the Commander said to the now semi-concious Captain as he opened the escape pod

“Rex, some to your senses” 

“No, Commander. I have to get you off of this ship before you’re hurt” he said as he picked her up and took her into the escape pod, as the thought of good soldiers follow orders still ringed in his head. 

“Rex, we’re even not on- ouch”

He was suddenly surrounded by a clattering noise and when he finally managed to reorient himself he noticed that he was lying on the ground of a supply closet with Commander Tano underneath him. The order in his head had stopped, he finally felt like he was fully awake and they were both covered in cleaning supplies.

“What happened?” He asked, genuinely confused.

“I caught you training randomly at six in the morning, you said “it will be done my lord” to an inactive comm, aimed your blaster at me and then you ran off with me, said somethings out the Jedi betraying the Republic and then you tried to force me into a supply closet. What’s going on here?”

“I don’t know either, sir. I genuinely thought we were on the Resolute and that clone protocol 66 had been initiated”

“What’s clone protocol 66?”

Rex realized that he didn’t consciously remember the order, but he still repeated “the Jedi have turned against the republic and should be terminated on sight” as if if had been drilled into him. 

“So you dragged me into the supply closet to kill me?” She asked, clearly horrified 

“No, of course not. I was trying to help you escape, even though that would be treason” He said, mentally cringing that he was trying to make things sound better with treason.

She just stared at him blankly. “Who do you think gave you the order anyway?”

“I don’t know, a cloaked figure. All I knew was that I had to follow his orders. I’m surprised that I managed to resist”

“This is odd Rex. We’re going to have to talk to my master about this”

He nodded and stood up. 

In the hallway, he helped Jesse up, apologized to him and went with her to see her master.

* * *

After Rex had recounted his version of the events to General Skywalker, Anakin looked at Ahsoka in shock.

“Is this what happened, Snips?”

“More or less. The commlink was actually off and he wasn’t called by anyone, and we were in the barracks the whole time. But he did seem dazed and he didn’t feel awake” 

Anakin sighed and commed Kix “Kix, I’m sending Rex over. He needs the same surgery we gave to Fives. Do you remember it?”

“Yes sir. Though I can’t hide the incision with his current hair cut”

“That’s fine, we’re probably gonna find out more about them soon and maybe we’ll be able to tell the rest of the men”

“Alright Sir, I’ll prep the operating room” 

Anakin turned to Rex. “Rex, I’m really proud of you for disobeying. I’ll make sure you’ll know all the details before surgery. Fives, escort Rex to the operating room and tell him about the current situation.” The ARC nodded and left with the commander. 

“Ahsoka, I think it’s time I told you what’s going on as well” Anakin said. “Fives had a feeling the chips that the Kaminoans implanted to make them less aggressive were causing nightmares. Kix and I removed his chip and we’re trying to see if it affects him and what the chip is doing. So far, Fives doesn’t seem affected aside from not having nightmares. But the reverse engineering hasn’t been successful and I haven’t found anything odd. There is a lot of code in here and I don’t know where to look. But maybe, if I look for this “Order 66” we’ll finally figure out what these things do” he said as he typed something into his data pad.

And then she saw him look interested. And then he looked shocked. And his face went pale as he looked straight up horrified. 

“What’s wrong master?”

“Rex was right. There is an Order 66, and it says that the Jedi have committed treason and should be terminated on sight. It is programmed directly into the chip, the clones have no control over it”

“What? Who’d give such an order?”

“Apparently,” Anakin said, visibly angry “the chancellor. And I’m going to have a chat with him”

“Master, don’t.” She said, blocking the exit. “This probably isn’t news to the chancellor, it’s his order to give. And I have a bad feeling about this. We can’t rule out that he’s involved somehow. If that’s the case, we can’t let him know that we know”

Anakin stared at her, but then he shook his head. “You’re right Ahsoka. We will keep this to ourselves and the people we trust and try to fix the clones before we try anything. We can’t risk the order being activated before we remove the chips.”

He sat down again. “I need a moment, and then I’ll inform obi-wan. Do you think you can get the 501st dechipped?”

“Yes master, I’ll inform Kix and make a plan to do this under the radar.” She said.

* * *

Rex woke up in the medbay with Ahsoka and Kix at his bedside.

“What happened?” Rex asked.

“Your inhibitor chip malfunctioned and you were under the impression that order 66 was issued. Luckily, you managed to resist and no one was hurt” Kix said.

Rex laid down again, and tried to recall the previous events. His brain was still foggy, but eventually he managed. 

“Yeah, I remember it now. I’m sorry for what I did, Commander”

“It’s okay Rex. I know it wasn’t your fault. Anakin explained it to me. Apparently all clones have a chip in their head that forces them to follow certain orders, like that one. It’s not your fault yours malfunctioned.” 

“But still, I hurt you.”

“I have a small bruise on my elbow from falling in that closet. I’ll live” she said. She got up and kissed his forehead “Thanks for saving me though. I know committing _treason_ was hard for you. I’m going to check up on the others too, be right back”

Rex could feel his face getting red as Ahsoka moved on to the next clone due to be waking up, in the bed next to him. The whole medbay was full of clones in various states of consciousness. 

“Sir, we need to talk about what happened. Was there anything that happened prior to the delusion?” Kix asked, in his overly professional voice. Rex cringed. Kix using his overly professional voice was never good.

“I was just sleeping. I had the nightmare. You know which one. But when I killed her, I felt like something was wrong, like I had done the wrong thing. I woke up, or so I thought. I went about my business as usual and then I got the order again. I refused and tried to evacuate her before someone else could execute her. You know the rest”

“That’s... odd. I’ll have to send that report to General Skywalker. He might be able to figure out how the chip malfunctioned. Though I suspect that the conditioning algorithm glitched”

“The conditioning algorithm? What do you mean?”

The medic sighed. “Well, General Skywalker said that he found a lot of programs on the chips. The turn a dream into a conditioning exercise. Basically, if you follow the regs and do as ordered in your dreams, you’ll get more pleasant dreams. In your case, the algorithm couldn’t turn your dream pleasant after killing Commander Tano, so it tried to restart even though you woke up. But I’d have to ask General Skywalker if that’s what happened. He’s the one reverse engineering the chips. And I can’t read decompiled source code.”

“Well, that does match up with how it felt to me,” Rex sighed. “I’m just glad nothing bad happened to her because of those karking chips”

“You had a mind control chip in your head and all you’re worried about is Commander Tano? Man you’ve got it bad”

Rex wanted to protest, but he still felt too dazed from the anesthesia to think of a decent comeback so he just gave a tired sigh and laid back on the cot.

* * *

Anakin read through the source code, the automatic transcript of what Rex had told him and Kix’s hypothesis again. I seemed to match up. Everything else matched up too, except for one thing: who ordered these chips to be implanted? He didn’t know that, but he knew who he could ask. He commed Lara Se.

“Knight Skywalker? What a pleasant surprise. How are Echo eland Fives?” She asked.

“They’re fine. Echo is still in revalidation, but he has taken up work that isn’t physically demanding. Fives is helping him with his physical exercises”

“That’s great to hear. I’m very happy that I managed to save at least one of them. Their pod has a sad story”

“Pod?” He asked

“That’s what we call eight clones that were decanted together. However, in their case it was only seven. CT-12-3572 didn’t start breathing and died while we were decanting him. CT-50-1470 died at age 3 from an entirely preventable disease that was brought back by a bounty hunter. We learned from our mistake and had the entire army inoculated immediately instead of prior to first deployment like we had originally planned. Our facilities weren’t sterile enough to protect unvaccinated clones.” She looked sad at that, but Anakin just let her continue. She was clearly very talkative. so maybe he could steer the conversation towards the inhibitor chips this way without making it clear that he was actually calling for that info, and he’d raise less suspicion.

“The third casualty happened at age six, when CT-23-6902 fell from a catwalk. After this the pod was formed into a squad that was quickly called domino squad due to the casualties happening at regular intervals. At the nine year mark, people started expecting one of them to die and they started acting defective. They graduated that year on their second try, and they were send to Rishi Moon. CT-782, CT-10-2010 and CT-4040 died there. So sad. Sorry, I’m rambling again. But it’s amazing to see these two develop. They clearly act like human beings even though we engineered them to, well, not act like that. It’s very interesting” 

“Yeah, I’ve actually seen it happen quite a lot in my battalion” Anakin said, unsure of how to deal with her weird attitude towards the clones . At least it seemed better than the general consensus on Kamino.

“I thought that it would be impossible for them thanks to the inhibitor chips”

There it was. She mentioned the chips. “What do the inhibitor chips do exactly?” He asked, feigning ignorance 

“They are devices that control their actions if necessary. They suppress unwanted aggression and can be used to fully control their actions in emergencies”

“In what kind of emergency would that be beneficial? I thought their capability to act independently was the main reason why they were superior to droids. That’s what I’ve been encouraging in my troopers”

“That’s an interesting thought and I’d love to know more about how that is turning out. The chips will take over when their training is contradicting itself. For example, when they’re supposed to execute a traitor. We made sure that they’re not tempted to fall back on any loyalty they felt prior to the treason. So, if a Jedi were to become a Separatist like Count Dooku did, they’d be able to execute the traitor without hestitation.”

“Makes sense. Who ordered them to be implanted?”

“Tyranus” the Kaminoan said.

“Interesting,” he said. He didn’t really know who this “Tyranus” was, but at least he had a lead now. “I never actually met the guy. Is he a Republic Official?”

“I don’t actually know. My aunt and Lama Su are the only ones who have contact with him”

At this point, Anakin didn’t think he could pry any further without raising suspicion.

“Okay. I’m still worried about Echo to be honest. I don’t know when we should expect him to be walking again”

“That’s fair. He did have a really bad injury. I’d say anywhere between six weeks to two months. Maybe he should come back to Kamino after three weeks for a checkup. Fives should come too, to keep him company” 

“I’ll see if they want to do that. Usually they don’t like going back to Kamino that much”

“Why not?” 

“Because they usually only come back when wounded. And they don’t always come back to the front from there if you know what I mean”

Lara looked saddened by that

“Yes. Euthanasia is sometimes necessary to prevent unnecessary suffering.”

“I’ll see if the want to go. To Kamino I mean. I’m sure they don’t want to _go_ ”

“Thank you, General Skywalker” She said and they hung up. 

Anakin considered it for a moment and then send Fives a message asking him how he felt about going to Kamino for some reconnaissance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this. I’m now through my supply of chapters that were done already so I hope I can keep the weekly schedule up.


	12. The Negotiations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anakin, Ahsoka, Rex and Fives are send to Kamino to protect Senator Amidala. They go a day early so they can also bring Echo to his checkup and spend the extra day doing various activities. 
> 
> Fives and Echo go to the hospital, Rex and Ahsoka train together and Anakin and Padme do stuff. We all know what they’re doing. It’s not in this fic because I want to keep the T rating.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is a bit more rushed because I’m out of spare chapters so I’ll have to write a new chapter every week now. Sorry if there are any errors in here

Rex shifted uncomfortably in this chair. This chair was not made for clones, and he had very little leg room.

“Sorry about that,“ Senator Amidala said. “I know that civilian ships can be irritating to tall people. Anakin complains about it a lot as well” she tilted her head towards the cockpit where her ~~husband~~ _friend_ General Skywalker was flying the ship.

“It’s no problem, Senator” Rex said.

“It kind of is” Fives muttered under his breath.

“Well then you should’ve brought your own” Echo joked from his powerchair

“Can you guys stop bickering?“ Ahsoka asked. “I already have a headache from this long trip”

“How come, Sir?” Echo asked.

“Fives.“ she said.

“Guys, I don’t think the Kaminoans are going to believe that you are well adjusted adults if you keep acting like that.“ Senator Amidala said.

“Weren’t we here to get Echo to the hospital?“ Fives asked

“I’ll send you to the hospital if you don’t stop being annoying“ Rex muttered under his breath

“Yes, partially,” Ahsoka said “we were going to drop off echo, but then you and Rex will act as guards to senator Amidala. We’re going to try to get you guys citizenship and rights, so Skyguy decided to send the best clones of the 501st and Fives”

“Hey!”

Senator Amidala laughed at that this was probably going to be a lot more dramatic than it needed to be, considering that it was Skywalkers plan. 

“Oh, by the way. I had a question” Ahsoka said to Senator Amidala

“Ask away”

“How long does hair have to be to make a bun?”

“That depends on how thick it the hair is, but it should reach the shoulder blades at least. If you have thin hair it should be longer. Who do you need advice for?” 

“Tup, one of the clones”

The senator looked surprised “Isn’t that against regulation? I don’t want him to get in trouble”

“With all due respect, Senator,” Rex said “but our General is the one who is supposed to enforce them.” 

“Ah, Okay then.” She said. “In that case, I’m going to compile a list of resources for anyone in the 501st who is interested”

“Thanks, Padmé” Ahsoka said.

“I’m sure Tup and some of the others will love it” Rex told her.

“I’ll put in some things about skin care too” she said.

“Thanks, Senator. But I doubt we’d have the budget for it”

“You can use plant oil instead” Ahsoka offered

“Plant oil?” Senator Amidala asked

“Yeah, Skyguy said it works as a moisturizer. Mostly because he’s too lazy to look for an actual moisturizer. But it works well”

“I’m sure it does” the senator sighed. “We’re approaching Kamino”

“I’ll show you later” Ahsoka told him as she fastened her seatbelt

* * *

“Welcome to Tipoca City, Senator” the Kaminoan at the door said. “We’ve been expecting you. I’ll guide you to the prime minister, while ARC-2740 takes your clone escort and their Commander to their quarters”

The clone nodded and gestured to follow him.

“What’s your name?” Ahsoka asked. The ARC Trooper visibly stiffened

“It’s okay vod,” Rex said “she’s safe to tell your name to”

“Yeah, I doubt she even remembers our numbers” Fives joked 

“Thanks, I really appreciate that coming from you _Fives_ ” she said with mock annoyance

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Fives asked, pretending to be offended

“You’re literally named after your number, ARC-5555”

“No, I got that number after I got my name” Fives argued

“You’re right, I’m sorry CT-27-5555” she said, rolling her eyes at the ARC trooper.

“My name is Blitz by the way” the other clone said. “I’m in charge of ARC training”

“He trained all three of us” Echo added

“So, how are my former students doing in the 501st?” Blitz asked

“They’re doing amazing. Except Fives. He’s Fives”

“What’s wrong with him?” Blitz asked

“Nothing. He’s just annoying from time to time” she shrugged “and if he gets too much I can make him go away”

“No you can’t” Fives said

Ahsoka just used the force to push him, not hard enough to hurt him but hard enough to make him stagger and regain his footing half a meter further away from her

“Don’t let the Kaminoans find out about your... teasing thing.” Blitz advised. “They don’t like the independence us ARC troopers show already, and would not hesitate to euthanize him if they found out”

“I’ll keep it in mind” Ahsoka said.

“Here are your quarters” Blitz said, “the ARC troopers’ room is on the left, the commander’s room is on the right. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a meeting to attend to” he said as he saluted and walked away. 

“So, good night” Fives said ask he pushed Echo inside the room. Ahsoka shook her head at that. Rex knew that Echo’s powerchair was fully motorized, but Fives insisted on pushing his brother since Echo mentioned that using the controls hurt his newly attached arms a little. He hadn’t even used the word “pain”, he had just said his arm felt sore. But he couldn’t blame Fives for being so overprotective of his brother.

Ahsoka went inside the other room and Rex followed Fives into the room on the left, but Fives pushed him out. “This is the ARC troopers’ room.” 

“I am an ARC trooper” Rex argued.

“Yeah, but you’re a Commander. And the Commanders’ room is over there” Fives said, closing the door behind him and locking it.

Rex just put on his bucket and commed Fives. He picked up. “Fives, let me in” 

“No, this is our room. You should share a room with Commander Tano”

“Fives, that’s an order.”

“You can’t order me around. The new regs say that ranks don’t matter while we’re off duty”

“The Kaminoans don’t follow the new regs” Rex argued.

“No, but they’ll euthanize me for this insubordination. Do you really want that?”

“No, of course not.” Rex sighed. “Why are you acting like a twelve year old?”

“Well... Technically...”

“Enough, Fives. I’m tired of your banthashit. Why are you like this? What’s gotten into you today?”

“Do you want an honest answer?” Fives said

“Yes.”

“Okay. I’m trying to get you to admit how you feel about Commander Tano. The two of you are obviously into each other, and it’s basically official already. Just admit it and I’ll stop”

“What? No! You’re gonna regret that, Fives!” He said loudly

“Rex? Are you okay?” Ahsoka said as she was peeking out of her room, already in her pajamas

Rex quickly turned off the comm in his helmet and took it of. “Yes, Si- Ahsoka. I’m fine. Fives won’t let me in. He’s just being annoying again.”

“Yeah, he’s been abusing the freedom the new regs give him a bit too much.” She agreed. “So, What are you going to do now?”

“I honestly don’t know. I need to sleep somewhere, but Fives won’t let me in and I don’t think I can sleep with one of the other battalions without the longnecks noticing”

“We could share my room?” She offered

“That’s what Fives has been trying to get me to”

“Yeah, well we need a plan to make him stop. We’ll need to talk privately, so get inside”

He nodded and followed her. She closed the door behind him.

“I’ve been thinking about what I joked about three weeks ago, and I’ve realized that it might actually work”

“I don’t remember the details. What plan do you have?”

“Well...” He noticed that her lekku turned a little darker than usual “I joked that we should just pretend to date and be so annoying about it that it’s not funny anymore for Fives and Skyguy. But that plan might actually work, and I want Fives to stop and maybe have a bit of revenge”

“Revenge is not the Jedi way” he said, sarcastically. “But I understand. But I don’t know if proving him right will do that, and I don’t know if I’d want a fake relationship”

“I understand. I didn’t want to imply that you have to answer now. I understand that you’d probably need to think about it. No rush”

“Thanks, Ahsoka. I’ll do that. But I’m tired right now, and I really want to sleep if you don’t mind”

“Of course not, I’ll help you find a place to-“ she said as she tried to open the door. “It’s locked”

“Damnit, I should’ve thought about that” 

“What’s happening?”

“All bedrooms can be locked from the outside in this facility. It’s a precaution in case we start getting agggresive. Fives probably locked us in”

She let out and audible sigh and raised her hand.

“That bastard didn’t just lock it in, he put soldering tin in the lock”

“So you can’t open it?”

“Nope, not unless someone removes the tin. And we’d have to call someone outside for that. I can’t melt it with the force.” 

“And we can’t trust the longnecks. That leaves us with Senator Amidala and General Skywalker.”

“I don’t think Padmé would be of much help. She doesn’t have the right tools with her, and asking her to get them from somewhere would raise suspicion. I’ll call Skyguy”

She put in the comm number and waited

“I guess he’s not in his quarters. Where could he be?” She asks sarcastically, as she already commed Senator Amidala. Who didn’t reply either. 

“I guess they’re busy” Rex said.

“Thanks, I know that. Thanks for the mental image.” she said, clearly irritated. She sighed. “I guess we’re stuck here”

“I’ll sleep on the ground then” he offered immediately.

“No, you don’t have to. We can share the bed if you want to” she offered.

“For body heat?” He asked, half serious

“Yes. You’re very warm. I like that”

“Okay, how much of my armor should I take off?”

“At least all the plates, and keep the helmet off. You can take the blacks of if you’d like, but they won’t bother me”

“Then I’d prefer to keep them on” he said as he unclipped the plates “It tends to get cold on this planet at night” 

“Then I’m glad to have you here” she said as she climbed into bed. He climbed in after her, unsure of how he should lie down. She just curled up next to him and fell asleep almost instantly. He followed soon after.

* * *

She woke up against his warm chest. He was breathing evenly, but she could tell that he was awake. 

“Good morning, did you sleep well?” She asked.

“Yes, I did” he said as he got up. “We should find a way out of here”

She noticed a blue light blinking on his comm as she sat up. “Maybe we should check what those messages say”

“Good idea” he said as he put his vambrace and helmet on. The HUD displayed several non-urgent messages
    
    
    Rex,
    Heard you’re on Kamino. I’m coming there to pick up new recruits and I’ll be there a few days. If you and Commander Tano have time, I have something I need to discuss with the two of you sometime. Comm me if you have time.
    Cody
    
    
    
    * * *
    
    
    
    Sup vod?
    Someone (not me) had some kind of weird accident with soldering tin on your lock. I have no idea how it happened, but I fixed it for you. You’re welcome! I’ll be busy helping Echo with his checkup so don’t contact me
    Fives
    
    
    
    * * *
    
    
    
    Hey Rex,
    Snips tried to reach me and Senator Amidala last night. Can you tell her that the three of us were discussing tomorrow’s negotiations until midnight?
    Skywalker out
    

“Skywalker wants me to tell you that he has been talking with Senator Amidala and I about tomorrow’s negotiation, and that that’s why he didn’t answer his comm, and that I was there too.” he said with an exasperated sigh.

She facepalmed so hard he could see her lekku move under the force. He briefly wondered how they felt. Probably soft. She shook her head. “Anything else?”

“Fives let us out and Cody wants to talk to us about something. He’s on Kamino to pick up new shinies”

“Well, talking to Cody seems like a good idea. I hope he’s not going to confront us about the rumors that were together’

“I agree, Sir. I’ve been thinking about what you proposed yesterday, by the way. You’re probably right that it’s the best way to stop Fives, but I don’t want him to think that he was right. Can I be blunt?”

“Of course”

“I want you to win me over” he said, as he blushed a bit

“Okay, I’ll do my best. What’s the best way to do that?”

He blushed a bit more at that. “I genuinely don’t know. I never considered the possibility, so I don’t know what my type is”

“Cody told me that almost all clones are a sucker for loyalty,” She offered “but he also told me that I shouldn’t pull that with you”

“Why not?” He asked

“He said it’s a cheap trick that some civilians try that on clones, only to break up with them once they find out how little time they can spend together during this war. And that usually leads to them being so out of it that they don’t come back from the next battle”

“I know, it happens in the 501st as well”

“I never knew. I’m sorry” she said, looking down. 

“It’s okay, it makes sense that you didn’t know. We tried to hide it. With the old regs, we’d be euthanized for it anyway. So they took their chances with the droids. Some did come back. You should ask Longshot about it if you want to know how to help my brothers in that situation. He got lucky”

“I’ll do that. Especially since you’d have to fake that as well. I’ll keep you off duty if I can”

“Thank you sir. But I was considering breaking up with you instead”

“That would work too, though we’d have to figure out a reason and a way to prevent Anakin from skewering you on his lightsaber”

“Do you really think he’d do that?” He said, getting worried now

“No, I don’t think he will. He has anger issues but he wouldn’t kill you if he knew that that would upset me even more. You’d probably end up being transferred to a different battalion though”

“That’s not too bad.” Rex said, relieved

“Yeah, but still. We’d have to be careful. Maybe we should think about it for a few more days” Ahsoka offered

“Yeah. Should I tell Cody that we have all day and that we can talk to him?”

“Yes,” Ahsoka said. “It’s probably going to be a good way to avoid Fives as well”

“That’s starting to sound great” Rex said as he typed his message to Cody

* * *

“Welcome, Commander Tano’s” Cody said as Rex and Ahsoka walked into the gym.

“Not you too” Rex said with a sigh. “If you’re here to talk about the rumors, nothing is going on between me and Ahsoka”

“And yet you’re referring to her by first name” Cody said, smirking “and Stitches mentioned that you occasionally call her ‘Soka”

“Cody, that doesn’t prove anything.” Ahsoka said. “It’s just a nickname, and you know I insist that everyone can call me by my first name when off duty. Is this all you wanted today?”

“No, of course not. I was just teasing my brother and sister in law a bit -“

“Cody!” Rex said, switching to the voice he usually saved for disobedient shinies and Fives. 

“Okay, I’ll stop teasing” Cody said “but I have a few things to discuss about the rumors”

“Okay?” Rex asks with a raised eyebrow

“First, I would definitely approve if it were true, and I’d even get General Kenobi off your tail. Though mostly so he doesn’t have to worry that you being too much like General Skywalker. I already told Ahsoka that, but I thought I should tell you too”

“Thanks, Cody. But that won’t be necessary” 

“I know, but just in case. Anyway, the second thing is more serious. Ahsoka told me she met your... _admirer_ at 79’s. We both know she’s going to attack Commander Tano as soon as she sees her interacting with you. And while we can’t legally fight back, she can. We should prepare her for it”

“What makes you think I need more training?” Ahsoka asked Cody, indignantly. “I can take a civvie”

“I’m sure you can, ‘Soka” Rex said, ignoring the look Cody gave him “but you can’t bring a lightsaber to a fistfight. Legally speaking I mean.”

“And the way we taught you to fight only works against droids, since they haven’t been programmed to keep fighting when they’re down. They’ll either get up or stay down, but a living opponent might take you down with them and try to fight you on the ground” Cody added. “That’s what I want to teach you”

“Okay, that might be useful. But I assume Rex already knows this. Why is he here?” She asked

“You need someone to practice on”

“Why can’t she practice on you?” Rex asked

“I want to check how she’s doing. That’s easier when I’m not being choked or pushed face first into the mat. And it’ll be less awkward for me”

“How awkward can it be?” Ahsoka asked

Cody just smiled

* * *

Ahsoka pulled Rex as close as possible with her left arm around his neck. He tried to push himself up but she trapped his right arm next to her body. As soon as he put his left arm down instead, she trapped his left arm with hers and wrapped hers right around his neck in an attempt to pull him close again. His face was trapped against her chest while her legs were wrapped around his waist to prevent him from getting side control. He felt big, warm and awkward as he lay on top of her in just his blacks, basically trapped inside her limbs. 

“You’re doing great Ahsoka” Cody said as Rex still struggled on top of her. “The five minutes are over, sweep and choke him”

She unhooked her ankles and pushed him to the side, rolling both of them over and landing with her straddling his hips in yet another... awkward position. She immediately put her hand inside his collar as she shifted her weight off his lap onto her knees (so he’d have a harder time bucking her off) and grabbed the back of this collar. She put in her other hand too, so that her wrists were crossed and she bent her wrists, cutting of circulation to his head by pressing the tops of her wrists into his carotid arteries. He immediately put his hand on her thigh and started tapping out as fast as he could. She let go immediately.

“You had it immediately this time” Rex commented, rubbing his throat. 

“Are you okay?” She asked, a bit worried

“Yeah, I’m fine. Though I’m starting to feel the effect of being choked repeatedly now.” He turned to Cody “Can we take a break?”

“Actually I think we’re done. We’ve practiced all the the techniques she’s likely to need. And it’s getting late. Can I come with you the next time you’re going to 79’s? I want to see the fight.”

“Sure, Codes” Rex said as he wiped his face with a towel. “Don’t you have some shinies to take back to Coruscant tomorrow?”

“Yes, I do. Good night” he said as he walked out of the gym, his blacks completely dry while Rex and Ahsoka were soaked with sweat that probably wasn’t entirely their own. 

Ahsoka got off him and helped him up. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, Thanks. And thanks in advance for fighting off that twilek when I can’t.”

“I’m sure you could take her”

“Yeah, but I’d get in trouble for that. We’re not allowed to attack a civilian. Ever. Not even to defend someone else. We’re only allowed to arrest them when they do something illegal, but there aren’t any laws against bothering us”

“Don’t worry Rex. I’ll get her off your tail” she said as she affectionate punched his arm 

“Thanks, ‘Soka”

* * *

Later that night, Rex bunked with Ahsoka again. She fell asleep instantly in his arms, while he was lying awake. One of her montrals was pushing into his shoulder. This wouldn’t have been a problem if he wasn’t so sore and bruises by being kicked around the gym for hours that day.

His commlink beeped. He knew he wasn’t going to get any sleep soon, so he checked it
    
    
    Hey Rex,
    Sorry about yesterday. I talked about it with Echo and I went too far. You can sleep with us now if you want to.
    Fives
    

He sighed and opened the instant messaging app on his commlink
    
    
    [CT-7567] Apology accepted. I can’t come over now. I assumed I’d be forced to bunk with Ahsoka again so I did, and I can’t get up without waking her
    [ARC-5555] Damn, I didn’t know her hearing was that sensitive
    [CT-7567] How was the hospital?
    [ARC-5555] Somehow both better and worse than I expected. The Kaminoan who sewed Echo back together was actually pretty nice. She asked a lot of questions about the 501st and seemed genuinely interested. She also tried to pet us and gave us raw potatoes because “humans love to eat food rich in carbohydrates, right?” I’m confused but I have a good feeling about this. She also willingly gave me intel about the inhibitor chips. Sadly no new intel.
    [CT-7567] Well, sounds great. I’m going to sleep now. See you tomorrow at the negotiations
    [ARC-5555] night Vod
    

Rex put his commlink away and curled up around Ahsoka. He fell asleep pretty quickly now that he was settled in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading.  
> The thing with the oil works on me, but I’m not sure if it’ll work for everyone. Either way cheap moisturizer for broke college students. The fighting scenes are based on how I learned martial arts  
> Kudos and comments are appreciated as always


	13. The Fight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ahsoka goes to 79’s with a few of her men, where she finally deals with Rex’s admirer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that it’s a bit shorter. I had a very busy week so I had to split this chapter in two
> 
> Edit: sorry, forgot to proofread before uploading. I fixed a few minor errors

Ahsoka stood still as Rex wrapped her knuckles for her. They were about to head out to 79’s with Kix, Fives, Echo (who was declared fit enough to walk with crutches during their last visit to Kamino) and Stitches when Rex had remembered that she should probably get her hands wrapped up. So he had made her some wrappings with bandages from Kix’s medkit and a bit of preventively applied bacta. She could tell that he was putting a lot of effort into them.

“Rex, you don’t have to worry about my hands. I’ll be fine.”

“I know. But General Skywalker might get worried if you come back bruised. I want to avoid that” he said as he put her gloves back on over the bandages. “Are you ready to go?”

“Of course I am” she said as someone in front of the group opened the doors and they all stepped into the chilly night

* * *

When they got to 79’s, Cody was already there. He waved them over and they all sat down with him. Ahsoka sat next to Cody, and Rex day beside her. mostly so they could have front row seats. They ordered their first round and the Twilek waitress brought it. Cody looked at Ahsoka expectantly, while Ahsoka kept her eyes on the twilek. 

“So, how’s my handsome Captain doing?” The twilek asked

“I’m fine I guess” he said, trying to be as polite as possible even though he was clearly uncomfortable. The twilek ignored it and petted his hair. Rex pulled his head in as far as he could. He kind of looked like a turtle and the sight would’ve been funny in a way of Ahsoka hadn’t felt an intense amount of anger and disgust at the sight. 

“Excuse me, he’s not. Leave him alone” she said

The twilek shot her a dirty look. “You again.” She said, “I’ve known him for eight months now. He’s mine”

“He’s not interested, back off”

“Don’t be ridiculous. Of course he’s interested, he’s just scared his CO will find out, _jailbait_ ”

“What did you just call me?”

“Jailbait. I’ve asked the bartender. You’re sixteen, and he deserves a real woman.”

“I’m not his girlfriend. I’m his Commander and you need to leave him alone.”

“You, a Commander? Don’t make me laugh” she said as she grabbed Rex’s head and pulled him close to her as she stood behind him, so that his head was pressed into her chest.

Ahsoka saw red and punched the woman square in the face. The twilek stumbled backwards, letting go of Rex.

“How dare you?” She spat before charging at Ahsoka. Ahsoka got out of the way and tripped the twilek while her men cheered. Not one to lose momentum, she dove down on the woman and started restraining her. It was going well, she clearly didn’t know how to fight like the clones and was basically just squirming underneath her. She lay down on top of the twilek, pushing her into the ground. Then, she felt a stinging pain in her left lekku

* * *

Rex was watching the fight in awe when Ahsoka screamed. He rushed to her side immediately, but she was backing off and the twilek was back on her feet already. He helped his Commander up and then he saw it. Her lekku was bleeding. He grabbed it and took a closer look. There were clear bite marks on it

“Did you just _bite_ my commander?” Rex growled

“Wait, she actually is your Commander?

“Yes, do you think she would’ve lied about that in front of all of us?” Stitches asked her, getting up to see if Ahsoka needed help as well.

“Yeah, you’re under arrest” Cody said.

“You can’t arrest me!” The woman spat

“I can now that you’ve bitten a Jedi”

“She hit me first”

“She was protecting our commander from being strangled” Stitches said as Cody put the twilek in binders and started taking her away. He looked away, he didn’t want to give her an more attention and he was still holding Ahsoka’s bleeding lekku.

“Are you okay, Ahsoka?”

“No, I’m not. It hurts”

“I’m so sorry, this is my fault. I knew that getting a lekku near your is likely to happen, but I didn’t warn you about it. It never even occurred to me that biting was a possibility” 

“Sir, can I have a look at that?” Kix asked.

“Of course” she said

Rex handed the lekku to the medic, but as soon as Kix grabbed it, the appendage started squirming out of his hand.

“Sir, I can’t inspect it if you don’t keep it still”

“I know, sorry Kix. I can’t help it”

“Ah, Okay. I understand. It seemed okay when Rex held it. Maybe you could help me hold it still for me, Vod?”

“Yeah, no problem” Rex said as he took the lekku in his hand. It was indeed soft, though he felt a lot of muscle underneath the layer of fat. Her skin looked soft underneath his fingers, though he couldn’t feel the texture through his gloves. The lekku shuddered and the blue flushed dark at his touch but it remained still. 

“Hold it a bit firmer, she might start squirming while I’m disinfecting. You won’t hurt her, they’re not sensitive to pressure. If she’s in pain then that’s because of me” Kix said as he started to inspect the wounds. The twilek had bitten her hard, and the wound was bleeding a bit. Not enough to cause him to worry, but still. Ahsoka was avoiding eye contact.

When he squeezed, a few drops of blood appeared. As soon as Kix started to disinfect, the lekku started squirming and wrapped partially around his wrist with way more force that he had expected. He had actually not know that lekku could move at all, so he hadn’t known that she could actually squeeze him with it.

Just as Kix was finishing cleaning the wound, Ahsoka’s comm beeped.

“Ahsoka, Fox just called me to tell me you punched a civilian. Come over immediately, I wanna hear your side of the story and then we have to talk to Fox”

“Right, I’m coming straight away”

“I’ll come with you” Rex offered

“No, sir. There’s something we need to discuss” Kix said. “Tup, you should walk her back to the Jedi temple”

“Yes Sir” Tup said.

“Sorry boys, I wish I could’ve stayed longer” Ahsoka said as she gave Rex an apologetic look before leaving with Tup.

He looked at her until she was out the door, and then he turned to Kix.

““What did you want to discuss?“

“Sit down”

He did as Kix told him and looked at the medic expectantly

“Sir, do you have any idea why she allowed you to touch her lekku?”

”No, maybe it’s trust?”

“That’s definitely part of it. But this is a special kind of trust”

“What do you mean?“

“Sir I don’t know how to explain this, but... you know about periods, right?”

”Yeah”

“Well, Togruta don’t have those. Not like humans Anyway. They have an estrous cycle. It serves the same purpose, but the ovulation is noticeable, not the menstruation. In fact, there is no menstruation. The endometrium is reabsorbed instead of shed. But that’s irrelevant now. What I wanted to say was that around that time of month, Togruta get very sensitive lekku. Only people who they’re attracted to can touch them”

“Wait, so you’re telling me that Commander Tano thinks I’m attractive?”

“No, not necessarily,” Fives said “She could think we’re all attractive except Kix”

The medic glared at Fives, but then decided it was best to ignore him

“Yes. It seems like that’s the case. And even though I don’t believe Fives’ banthashit, I’m gonna have to give you the talk anyway”

“I don’t want to have this talk”

“Sir, it’s for your own good”

“Why do you think I need to have the talk? I know how it works”

“But it’d be your first time, right?” 

“I’ll figure it out if I have to, but I don’t think I’d get to that point”

“Okay sir,” Echo said “But please remember that you shouldn’t round second base with eel blood”

“You seemed to like it” Rex rebutted with a glare

“Yeah, I did” Echo said, showing off the painted hand on his chestplate

“You guys are the worst. I’m going to order the strongest thing they have and then go back to the barracks, where I don’t have to deal with you”

“Okay, just make sure that you can still get it up tonight” Fives said, winking

Rex just flipped his brother off as he walked to the bar

He had just ordered his whiskey when Fives walked up to him.

“I didn’t mean what I said”

“Good. Then why did you say it?”

“Because it’s fun to imply that Kix is ugly. He spends and hour per week on those lightning bolts, he’s obviously gonna be insulted by implying that he’s the ugly one”

“Oh, I thought you were gonna apologize about the whiskey dick thing or about the implications that I’m sleeping with Commander Tano”

“But seriously, I think Commander Tano likes you. You should think about it.”

“Thanks, Fives. But I don’t think it’s a good idea”

“Okay, your loss of she moves on”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed it. I really appreciate the Kudos and comments


	14. The Question

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a talk with Anakin, Ahsoka realizes that she probably has no other option than to go on a fake date with Rex

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the rest of last chapter. It got a lot longer than expected so it’s probably better that I split it up

Ahsoka walked through the streets of Coruscant with Tup. She still didn’t know how to explain why she had grabbed Rex’s wrist with her lekku. She hadn’t done it consciously, it had been a reflex just like the squirming she had done when Kix touched her. She didn’t know why she reacted so differently to them though. Usually, she’d blame the amount of comfort she felt with Rex on mutual trust, but this was different. She trusted Kix almost as much as she trusted Rex, and she hadn’t felt uncomfortable sleeping with him that one time on geononsis. That had been genuinely for body heat though, nights on desert planets were dangerously cold and everyone had doubled up. She didn’t even consider using Kix for heat when she didn’t have too, she had just picked him because it’s be less awkward to sleep with someone who had seen her naked for medical reasons. 

“What’s wrong?” Tup asked

“I’m worried about what they’re talking about” she admitted

“I don’t think any of them would badmouth you”

“I know. But I grabbed Rex’s wrist with my lekku. I know Fives is going to use it as yet another argument on why Rex and I are secretly dating. I’m getting sick of it”

“That’s fair. And knowing Fives he won’t stop until he’s tired of it”

“Yes, exactly. And I can’t order him to stop anymore, I can only tell him to stop while on duty. The only downside to the new regs” she sighed.

Tup smiled at her “I do appreciate the new regs though”

“Yeah, so do I”

“So why did you grab Rex like that?”

“I was in pain, and it helped a bit. Similar to holding someone’s hand while getting an IV” she lied

“Okay. By the way, we’re here” Tup said as they turned the corner

Anakin was already outside. 

“Ahsoka, we need to talk”

“I know”

“Why did you attack a civilian?”

“Because she had Rex in a headlock and he wasn’t allowed to defend himself”

“I can confirm that, Sir” Tup added “the civilian was holding him in a headlock”

“She said she was just being friendly to Rex”

“Her definition of friendly is really creepy though. She tried to push our Commander’s head into her chest. Rex I mean”

“Yeah, and I could tell he didn’t like it so I punched her” Ahsoka said

“Okay that changes a lot. I’d protect Padmé too if that happened” Anakin said “if I had the same kind of relationship with her as you and Rex do, of course. Purely hypothetical situation”

“Rex and I are just friends”

“Just like Senator Amidala and I. Except I’m not lying”

She roller her eyes at that “Master, now isn’t the time to discuss our relationships with others, platonic or not”

“You’re right. Let’s talk to Fox”

* * *

“That went better than expected” Ahsoka said as they exited the headquarters of the Coruscant Guard. 

“Yeah, you got her fired” Tup said with admiration in his voice

“Thanks. It wasn’t that hard after she started ranting about how she was Rex’s girlfriend” Ahsoka

“Yeah, and then she didn’t even know what his favorite type of blaster was”

“Even though he always has his DC’s with him” she laughed

“Tup, you should probably go back to the barracks or 79’s.” Anakin said “I want to talk to Ahsoka alone”

“Yes sir. Commander, do you want me to tell the others what happened or do you want to tell them yourself”

“I think I’ll tell them myself, thanks Tup”

“No problem. Good night Commander” he said as he walked away.

“What did you want to talk about, Skyguy?”

“About you and Rex. We need to have a serious talk this time.”

“Oh boy”

“Ahsoka, don’t give me that. I just wanted to say that I fully support your relationship with Rex”

“Anakin, for the last time, we’re just friends”

“You clearly care about him, Ahsoka. Just ask him out. I won’t judge you. Just between you and me, I’m married to Senator Amidala. So I understand how it feels to be in love and to not be allowed to act on it. Don’t do that to yourself”

“Okay, I’ll think about it. I don’t know what I feel to be honest. But that’s for trusting me with your secret”

“No problem, Snips. I trust you, and I trust you’ll make the right decision”

“Thanks, Skyguy. Can we go home now? I want to sleep off the pain in my lekku” she said.

“Alright. Tomorrow is repair day, if you’re gonna ask him out you should do it tomorrow”

“Master!”

“I’m kidding! ...maybe”

She rolled her eyes at him as they walked back to the Jedi temple

* * *

Later that night, she lay awake and went over the events that had transpired. Tup has agreed that fives wouldn’t stop unless he wanted to stop. Anakin hadn’t given up either. The 501st seemed to support them dating. Maybe she should ask Rex out anyway, and just annoy them until they stopped. She grabbed her commlink
    
    
    [JC-TANO] Rex, are you awake?
    [CT-7567] Yes, I was just getting into bed. Fives has gotten worse :/
    [JC-TANO] Ugh, I assumed he had. My master got worse too :/
    [CT-7567] We should do something about it
    [JC-TANO] I still got the fake dating and annoying the osik out of them plan if you’re interested?
    [CT-7567] You know what? I’m desperate enough for that
    [JC-TANO] Is fake dating me so bad that you need to be desperate? :P
    [CT-7567] Of course not. We could have a good laugh about that. Fives’ being annoying is why I’m desperate :/
    [JC-TANO] I know, I was just teasing you
    [CT-7567] You still have to win me over if you want to fake date me
    [JC-TANO] Such high maintenance. Was fighting off “the competition” not enough?
    [CT-7567] Okay that’s fair. How’s your lekku?
    [JC-TANO] It still hurts, but it’s not as bad as it was. I’m gonna have to lay in the other side though
    [CT-7567] That sucks. Is there anything I could do to make it better?
    [JC-TANO] You could replace the bacta parch tomorrow? I don’t know why but it’s annoying when Kix does it. You’re better at it for some reason
    

Rex was quiet for a short time after that
    
    
    [CT-7567] Yeah no problem. You could ask me out while I patch you up, like in those action movies
    [JC-TANO] Do I have to pretend like it hurts more than getting shot at too?
    [CT-7567] No, especially since you know what getting shot at actually feels like
    [JC-TANO] Good. I don’t think I could pretend to be in that much pain
    [CT-7567] So, how awkward do you want to make it for the rest?
    [JC-TANO] As awkward as possible ;)
    [CT-7567] Okay, I’ll do my best ;)
    [JC-TANO] Okay. Another thing: you’re okay with Dex’s, right?
    [CT-7567] Of course! That sounds amazing actually. Why would I not be okay with that?
    [JC-TANO] Taking someone to a diner on a first date isn’t exactly fancy
    [CT-7567] What part of getting real meat isn’t fancy?
    [JC-TANO] The part where it’s affordable to get enough food to feed a grown humanoid
    [CT-7567] I doubt there are any places that sell you small amounts of food for unaffordable prices
    [JC-TANO] You’d be surprised. I went to one of those with my master once, for a negotiation. They’re also obsessed over what cutlery you use and they have multiple forks, knives and spoons that all have a different purpose
    [CT-7567] I don’t believe you
    [JC-TANO] Ask my master
    [CT-7567] Okay sure. I’m sure General Skywalker has nothing better to do
    [JC-TANO] He really doesn’t. But I’m off to bed. See you tomorrow
    [CT-7567] Good night
    

Ahsoka put her commlink down and grabbed a datapad. After turning on her VPN, she opened up an incognito window and typed “how to ask someone out” into the search bar

* * *

The next morning, she walked into the mess hall to her her breakfast. Jesse was on mess duty today. That probably explained why he wasn’t at 79’s with them

“Good morning Commander” he said as he grabbed her breakfast (mostly actual raw meat, though it occasionally had a slice of bread and some other source of protein like cheese, milk or eggs if they were short on meat) “What did I miss last night?”

“I got into a fight, my opponent bit my lekku and I had to see Fox”

“Oof, that sucks”

“Yeah. But I didn’t get in trouble so that’s a plus” she said as Jesse handed her her food

“Good morning, Commander. How is your lekku?” Rex said as he grabbed his own breakfast 

“A bit better, though I’m gonna have to let someone change the bacta patch soon”

“I could do it if you want me to?”

“That would be nice, thank you Rex”

“Follow me, Kix has them” he said.

She did as he said. She was a bit nervous about what she was about to ask him, but she’d faced worse things. Like entire battalions of battle droids. She could do this. She wasn’t nervous about his answer, it more about how the others would react. If this didn’t annoy them at least a little, she’d be screwed.

They sat down at the table, and Rex wasted no time.

“Kix, can I have a bacta patch?”

“Sure, what size?”

“The same one you gave Ahsoka yesterday, I’m gonna replace hers”

Kix just handed him the patch from the medkit that he always carried with him because General Skywalker existed within proximity of his brothers

“Thank you for helping me out with that woman yesterday” he said as he grabbed the lekku and pulled the bacta patch off in one swift motion. She winched, but didn’t object. Ripping it off in one go was the least painful way to remove it, and his hand was warm on her lekku.

“No problem. You deserve to be treated better than that” she said. He smiled at her as he applied the new patch and rubbed it to spread the bacta

“Thank you, Ahsoka”

“Speaking of treating you better, would you like to go out with me?” She asked, as she felt the other clones at her table tense up

“What? Are you serious?”

“Yes”

“I... hadn’t expected that” Rex lied, but she would’ve believed he was genuinely a bit flustered if she hadn’t known that he was in on the plan. “But yes, I’d love to”

She smiled at him broadly, though mostly because she could feel that their plan was working. Fives, Echo and Kix were shook.

He smiled back at her, and his grip on her lekku tightened. She could feel him rub her lekku a bit with his finger, and it honestly felt pretty good. She closed her eyes a bit and started purring. Normally, she’d repress that because it was kinda awkward and usually let to humans asking questions. But now, awkward is what she was going for.

Then, he pulled her towards him with her lekku and pressed his lips against hers. It startled her a bit, but he had put his free hand behind her other lekku in a way that meant “don’t pull away now”, so she kissed him back. His lips were a lot softer than she expected, and he tasted like caf. The kiss was kind of awkward, and his nose was pressing into the side of hers. She cupped his face and pushed him to tilt his head to the side a bit more. She could feel him brimming with something between excitement and nervousness through the force, though she also felt that he was a bit unsure. Like he always did when he misunderstood what Skyguy’s plan was an realized he might’ve done the wrong thing. She realized this was what he meant with “make things as awkward as possible”, and send him reassuring vibes through the force. He must’ve felt them because he calmed down. The other clones in the room were still in shock. Even Fives, good. She deepened the kiss to give them a bit of a show. She felt him relax a bit, so she pushed “it’s working, I can feel Fives freaking out through the force” into his mind. He deepened the kiss too as a response, but then broke the kiss.

They were both flustered a bit, and she didn’t know what to say.

“So, where do you want to take me?” He said as he pushed another, short kiss to her lips

“How does Dex’s sound?”

“That sounds great. I’m off duty tonight. So I got all night if you want too” he added

Fives started choking on his food and fled the scene. Good. Ahsoka smiled to herself and then played it off as if she was smiling at Rex

“Tonight sounds great” she said as she gave him another short kiss. Under the table, she felt her commlink beep. Rex had send her a text under the table
    
    
    [CT-7567] (private) sorry if I went to far. I should’ve been more obvious in what I meant yesterday. I just thought I’d be the easiest way to freak them out, aside from just pulling you into my office for uhm... stuff
    

She didn’t pull her commlink into plain view. Instead, she pushed a feeling of understanding at him through the force

He smiled at her in acknowledgement

* * *

Anakin woke up to the sound of his commlink going off.

He activated it

“General Skywalker! Commander Tano has asked Rex out. This is not a drill. I repeat, this is not a drill. They’re going to Dex’s tonight”

“Copy that, Fives. Thanks for informing me. I’ll send a recon unit there as soon as they’re there”

“What kind of recon unit, sir? Any clone would be recognized immediately”

“No, I’m sending Senator Amidala”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The JC in Ahsoka’s designation stands for Jedi Commander. 
> 
> Thanks for reading:) I still really appreciate all the comments and Kudo’s


	15. The Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rex and Ahsoka go on a fake date to make plans

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if this chapter is a bit messy, I had a busy week. I genuinely didn’t have time to proofread. I usually wait 24 hours to do so because I’ll read over errors I made in the last 24 hours. I fixed a few unfinished sentences and auto corrects now. Again, sorry for the errors

Ahsoka waited in front Dex’s in a blue dress. The men had gotten a bit more enthusiastic about the date throughout the day (though she could tell they were still confused) and encouraged her to wear something different so she put on a blue sundress. She was a bit concerned with the encouragement she’d gotten. If her men were genuinely happy that she was “dating” Rex now, their plan would fail. But so far she could feel that they were still awkward about it, so that was good.

Rex showed up right on time in full armor, bucket at his side.

“Something’s different about you” she said

“The men forced me to clean my armor by hand. The machine usually doesn’t get dirt that’s embedded in the scrapes, but cleaning it by hand will. They also made me touch up on the paint. They said it was important for me to look my best today”

“Wow, I’m impressed that they made you go that far” 

“I suppose it had to happen someday” he shrugged “the armor was getting a bit gray”

“Well, I like it. But I’m hungry, let’s go inside”

He followed her, and she ordered two nerfburgers for them and they sat down.

“So, what’s the plan?” She asked

“I don’t know. I wanted to ask you that”

“Well, I think we should just tell them our date went well and that we continue as planned” she said

“I know, but there’s something that’s been bothering me”

“What is it?”

“Well... I don’t know how to say it, but I feel awful about kissing you without asking first. I thought you got the hint over text, so I went ahead. But I should’ve been clear about it. So I want to talk about what boundaries we should have”

“That’s a really good point. I didn’t mind the kiss to be honest” she said, blushing

“Me neither. And the men seemed to dislike it, in the right way. But I’m still not comfortable with it to be honest”

“Can I ask why?”

“Yeah, I’m too inexperienced. I probably looked like a damn shiny”

“Yeah, you probably did. But honestly, you weren’t that bad I think. A bit awkward but you didn’t make any major mistakes”

“Thanks. But I’d still prefer to know what I’m doing”

“So, are you saying that you don’t want to do it again or do you just want more practice?”

“S-sir?” He stuttered “Are you serious?”

She blushed as well and took a big bite from her burger to buy herself some time to answer

He was still staring at her

“Well, if we wanna make this convincing we need practice. I don’t want to do a lot more than just that though” she eventually said

“Yeah that’s fair. I didn’t even want to ask this of you” he said

She nodded and took another bite. He just stared at her and she raised an eye marking at him.

“Should I wait until you finish your food?”

“Oh, I didn’t mean right now. Too many people around”

“Oh, yeah. That makes sense” he said as he started eating his own food. 

Ahsoka turned around and spotted Padmé coming in. She waved at her, and the senator walked over.

“Hey guys, what are you doing here? I didn’t expect you here” she said

“We’re on a fake date” Ahsoka said

“Commander, are you sure you want to let the Senator in on it? She’s close to the General”

“Yeah, she wouldn’t tell Anakin stuff we don’t want her to tell him”

“You have my word Ahsoka” Padmé said

“Okay then, I’ll trust her as welll”

“What are you keeping from Anakin?” The senator asked

“That my relationship with Rex is fake. You see, he and Fives have been trying to get us together. So we decided to give them what they want, but to make it as awkward as possible for them. But we need more ideas to make them cringe”

“Ahsoka, that plan is crazy. Where do you get such crazy ideas?”

“My master”

Padmé sighed.

“Fine, I’ll help. Maybe you should try using pick up lines, Rex”

“I’ve looked up the worst pick up lines on the holonet, but I don’t feel comfortable using them on Ahsoka” he said

“Try looking at the funniest ones. You’ll probably find a lot of really bad puns that aren’t creepy”

“Thank you for the advice, Senator” 

“Padmé, can I ask what the most awkward pick up line someone used on you was?” Ahsoka asked

The senator seemed to think for a moment, and then she looked at Rex with a slightly concerned look, before looking back at Ahsoka.

“Okay, this was before the clone wars started. Some bounty hunter had been hired to kill me” she said as she looked at Rex again for just a second before looking back at Ahsoka “So I was assigned a body guard while someone else tried to arrest this bounty hunter. Me and the body guard stayed on Naboo in my old family vacation house. I told him about how we used to play on the beach there. And then, out of no where, he literally says this gem: _I don't like sand. It's coarse and rough and irritating and it gets everywhere. Not like here. Here everything is soft and smooth._ I didn’t think it was meant as flirting at first, but then he tried to touch my shoulder and kiss me. I said no, of course”

“That’s terrible” Ahsoka laughed. Rex tried to hide his laughter as well. He genuinely felt sorry for whoever thought that was an acceptable thing to say

“I could always complain about rain if you want me too” he joked

“It’s a good plan Z” Ahsoka replied

At that moment, Padmé’s comm went off. She looked at it angrily. “I’m sorry, I have to leave now. Have fun making up terrible puns!”

“Thanks, good luck with whatever just came up” Ahsoka said as Padmé left the diner in a hurry

“Are you sure she won’t tell Skywalker?” 

“Yeah, like I said: she promised me she wouldn’t tell Skywalker anything I didn’t want him to know. It was supposed to be about girl stuff, but I’m sure this counts”

“Okay. Well, in that case we should work on my pick up lines”

“Yes, that sounds like a great idea”

* * *

“Padmé, how is their date going”

She sighed into the comm. “It seemed to be going well. They were talking about some of the other clones and seemed to be having a good time. They spotted me though, so I pretended to be there by coincidence and made small talk with them. And then you called me. I had to leave so they wouldn’t get suspicious. You really have to work on your patience, Ani”

“I know, sorry Angel. But did they look happy together?”

“Yes”

“That’s all I need to know. Thanks Padmé”

“No problem” she said “I have to hang up now, they can still see me and I told them I had to go”

“Okay, bye Angel”

She hung up and got on her speeder to go home and take a nice long bath and let all this drama float away. And then ask Anakin to come over. This was her free day after all

* * *

“I had a lot of fun, Ahsoka” he said

“Thanks,” She said, as they stood in front of the barracks “me too”

She still stood there, not making an attempt to move

“What’s wrong?” He asked

“Can I talk to you in private?”

“Sure, the commander’s quarters are right around this corridor”

She nodded stiffly and walked ahead

He wondered what she wanted to talk about, so he followed her.

When they got there, she looked around to check that they were not being followed. He did as well. The coast was clear. He went inside and she followed him, closing the door behind them

“What did you want to discuss?”

“Do you still want to practice kissing?”

“Yeah, why?”

“We have the opportunity now”

“Ah, Yes. Are you sure you’re okay with this?” He said as he already stepped closer

“Yes” She said as she looked up at him slightly. She was tall enough for him to kiss without ducking down, but he still had to tilt his head. He briefly wondered how tall she’d be as an adult. Togruta usually grew until they were 25, so she might still end up taller than him. 

He moved to cup her face, but hesitated.

“Is it alright if I touch your lekku?”

“Yes”

“Everywhere?”

“Yes, but don’t tickle them or do anything that would hurt. They’re sensitive. And I’ll hear it if you ghost your fingers over my montrals, so please no light touches. Anything I should know about human ears?”

“They’re not really sensitive. Just don’t do anything weird like pulling them too hard or forcing your fingers inside”

“Wait, there’s a hole?” She said as she started forcing his head sideways to get a better look

“You should ask Kix about that instead of me”

“Why? You have the same ears”

“Yeah but he has a medical chart and a scale model. So he could explain how the inside works too”

“Okay. How does the outside work?”

“It’s just cartilage. It helps me hear from what direction the sound is coming, but only vaguely. And only without the bucket”

“Interesting”

“Do you still want to practice or are you just going to look at my ears”

“Oh, right” she said as she allowed him to face her again, but kept her hands on his face.

He stared at her for a second before moving in. He pressed his lips against hers firmly and cupped her face in one motion. Her lips were as soft as they were last time, but this time he had more privacy to try out some things. He explored the sides of her face with his hands and tried a few different angles.

When he found one that worked, he moved his hands up the sides of her face, so that his thumbs were in front of her lekku and the rest of his fingers underneath them. He could actually feel the under side of her skull under her lekku, but he didn’t feel any strings like he had expected. He broke the kiss

“Wait, how does your headdress stay on?”

“Glue” she said, obviously a bit flustered. She looked cute with both of her front lekku pushed up a little with his hands underneath them

“Are you serious?”

“Yeah, anything else wouldn’t keep the headdress on the divide between my montrals and my face”

“Okay then. I hadn’t expected that. Does it hurt to take it off?”

“No, the glue isn’t very strong” she said as she let her hands slid down to his chest. “Can I try something?”

“Of course”

She pushed him back against the wall. His first response was too resist, but he quickly shut down his fighting instinct and let her push his back flat against the wall. She captured his lips again, this time much more vigorously. He closed his eyes again, and felt her tongue on his bottom lip. He opened his mouth a little and let her explore his mouth a bit. This was definitely new to him, but he was eager to learn so he tried to touch her tongue with his own. She made an approving sound at that, so he slipped his tongue into her mouth and returned the favor and explored her mouth a bit. Her teeth were a bit sharper than he expected, but they weren’t hurting him. 

Suddenly, he heard a click and felt the plates of his armor loosen. His pauldrons slid out from under the command wing and fell to the floor, as did the armor at the back of his hands. Ahsoka pulled away and looked at him. He looked down. She had her hands at his hips now.

“Ah, you found the emergency switch” he said dryly as the armor hung loosely on his body

“The what?” 

“The emergency switch. There are two buttons on the side of my armor, just below the utility belt. If you push both of them at the same time, the armor’s power is cut and all magnetic seals open at once. It’s usually used by the medics to dekit wounded soldiers”

She let go of his hips and stepped back to get a better look at him, and the lower half of his body armor slid down a few centimeters until it sat on his thigh armor, which had also slid down as much as it could.

“Could you help me take it off? It’s hard to move with the plates all messed up” he asked

“Sure. What part should I do?”

“Could you do the lower half? I can’t bend down”

“Sure” She said as she got in her knees and started undoing utility belt while he removed the armor from his arms. He lifted the command wing and cuirass as she removed his codpiece and hind plate for him. Suddenly, the door opened

“Hey, Commander. How did your date-“ Fives stopped talking when he saw what was going on.

They both stared at him

“I’ll see myself out. Have fun!” He said as he stumbled out the door, closing it behind him and left. Ahsoka stared at the wall next to the door for a few seconds before laughing.

“He tripped while trying to get away as fast as possible. I heard it” she explained, and he started laughing as well. Their plan was working perfectly

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading :) please leave kudos if you can and tell me what you think


	16. The Puns

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rex tried to flirt with Ahsoka as badly as possible, and it works on the clones but not on Anakin. Then, Ahsoka gets captured on by the Trandoshans

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the new chapter! Golddude22 beta read this for me.

Rex walked into the mess and located Ahsoka immediately, sitting at a table with Fives, Echo, Stitches, Tup, Hardcase, Jesse and Kix. He grabbed his breakfast and slid into the bench next to her.

“You have to report to the brig, commander”

“What? Why?” She asked him, frowning

“It’s against the regs to be that cute”

One of his brothers, he couldn’t see which one, facepalmed. He heard it though.

“It’s not” Echo said dryly

Ahsoka just smiled at him and patted the spot next to her. He slid closer and put his right arm around her. He grabbed his fork with the other hand, and then he realised that he couldn’t grab his knife while holding her.

“Let me help” she said as she levitated a piece of toast to his face.

“Ahsoka no.” He said

“You’re starting to sound like my master” she joked

“Maybe you should listen if even General Skywalker seems to think it is a bad idea” he protested

“That’s also something I learned from my master: how to not listen to people” she said as she pushed the piece into his mouth. He tried to eat it, but it was a bit weird to have your food float in front of your face. Ahsoka decided to help him by pushing the toast into his mouth, but that just made it harder to eat.

“Well that gives a whole new meaning to force feeding” Fives said dryly as Hardcase choked on his food from laughing.

Kix got up and started undoing Rex’s armour.

“Hmph?” He asked.

“Just in case I’m going to have to do a Heimlich manoeuvre”

“I can eat just fine” Rex protested after he swallowed his food.

“Are you going to let her do that?” Jesse asked

Rex looked at Ahsoka “yeah, she’s cute enough to get away with it”

“You’re cute” she rebutted

“We’re all cute” Hardcase said

“What makes you think I think you’re cute?” Ahsoka asked

“We all have the same face”

“It doesn’t work like that. Rex is special”

“I thought we were all special”

“You are, but not like that”

“And that’s fine” Jesse said “I’m glad I’m not part of that” he said as he gestured at Rex and Ahsoka.

“You’ll understand when you find the right woman” Ahsoka said as she crawled on Rex’s lap.

“Or man. Or whatever. I’m not gonna judge” Rex added as he shifted Ahsoka to the middle of his lap so he could put his arms around her to eat his breakfasts with physical utensils

“Is that your blaster or are you happy to see me?” She asked

He turned red, but the rest of the table was more embarrassed than he was. Good.

“That’s actually my blaster. I’m happy to see you, but I can’t actually get it up while wearing armor. There’s no room for that”

“TMI Rex!” Echo said

“What? We all know it”

“Except Commander Tano”

“I’m not keeping secrets from her”

Echo rolled his eyes

“I know,” Fives said “I know what you showed her last night”

Stitches shot Fives a confused look

“You don’t want to know” the ARC trooper said

“What did he show you?” Jesse asked Ahsoka

She shot Rex a look that said “I’m letting you handle this one”

“I... uh... showed her the goods” he lied. they hadn’t done more than just take off his armor, practiced without it for a few more minutes and then Ahsoka had gone back to the Jedi temple to avoid more trouble with the Jedi.

The table fell quiet.

“Okay we don’t need to hear any more” Kix said  
“You guys almost make me look forward to Felucia” Fives said

“About Felucia,” Rex said “we need a holomap”

“Why?” Ahsoka asked

“Because I’m lost in your eyes”

Several people groaned.

* * *

Felucia wasn’t as bad as they suspected, but it was still pretty bad.

Rex, Fives, Ahsoka and general Skywalker sat in the bushes, a small distance away from the 104th. It was night, and dark clouds were starting to gather above the separatist base they were looking at.

“Do you think it’s going to rain?” Ahsoka asked

“No,” Fives said “these aren’t the big rainy ones. Echo would know what kind of clouds they are. The name I mean”

“I don’t like rain. It’s cold and wet and irritating. And it gets everywhere” Rex said.

Ahsoka started laughing

“Not like you,” he said, as he tenderly stroked her back lekku “you’re dry, and warm”

She laughed more so he took his helmet off and kissed her to shut her up. He immediately put his helmet back on to prevent himself from getting wet

Everyone looked at them.

“Okay, that’s it! I’m done!” Fives said “I want new commanders. Ones that doesn’t do... that!”

“What are you talking about? That was hella smooth” General Skywalker said.

Rex just stared into the distance. He was glad that his helmet was hiding his reaction. The General has just said the phrase “hella smooth”, and after he had said _that_?

The other clones just stared their General. No one said anything.

“So... how are we going to take this base?” Ahsoka asked to break the silence

“We’ll meet up with master Plo and talk about the plans with him” General Skywalker said.

* * *

Rex descended down the wall using the ascension cables that Ahsoka and the Wolfpack has left there.

“Ahsoka!”

She wasn’t there

He frantically searched through the bushes, hoping she’d be there but also afraid that she would be there, just not alive.

When he didn’t find her there, his heart sank. He walked back to the wall to climb back up when he felt his boot hit something hard in the mud. He looked down and spotted one of her lightsabers. He picked it up and looked around. The other one was right there. She must’ve dropped both at the same time.

He also noticed the drag marks in the dirt. Something had knocked her lightsabers out of her hands and knocked her into the wall and dragged her off. He climbed up the wall as fast as he could to tell General Skywalker what he'd found.

* * *

When he arrived back on the Resolute, he was on the verge of tears. He didn’t cry easily, but the stress of not being able to find Ahsoka was different from what he was used to. Droids, he could deal with. Most of them went down in one well aimed blaster shot, and those that didn’t just needed a second bolt. He could also deal with his brothers dying, he was used to it and the Kaminoans always said that dying didn’t hurt and called it an Honorable sacrifice. He always believed that that was the case, even if he knew deep down that this was just a coping mechanism. And there was nothing he could do for them after they were gone. Ahsoka was still out there, probably suffering. And this wasn’t like a wounded brother, who was usually either beyond his capabilities to help. They were the medic's issue, not his. If there was anything he could do, he would. But this was easy to distance himself from that.

But not from this. There was a constant dull ache in his chest that he should ask Kix about. He knew he wasn’t at a big risk for heart disease, the Kaminoans had made sure he’d had no genetic disposition to it or any other inheritable issues.

He walked to his quarters on autopilot. Fives ran up to him.

“Rex, I’m so sorry for what I said about wanting new commanders. I genuinely hadn’t seen this coming”

“I know Fives, but I don’t really want to talk now”

“I know, sir. But I couldn’t say nothing”

“Thank you. I just need to rest now” He said in a defeated tone as he went inside his quarters and shut the door behind him. He usually slept with the rest of the men, but tonight he knew he was going to break down and he didn’t want the rest of the men to see him like that.

* * *

Rex and Echo sat in the mess hall. They were on leave since Ahsoka had gone missing. It had been about two weeks and Rex still wasn’t doing well. He had become numb at this point, but at least Echo was doing considerably better physically speaking. His limbs had healed completely and he managed to rebuilt enough muscle mass to join them in their upcoming mission to Umbara.

Most of the clones who had been with Rex when they lost Ahsoka had started to avoid Rex, probably out of guilt. He knew it wasn’t their fault, but it was hard to say so. He still didn’t want to talk about it. Echo understood that, and usually talked about what happened on the Resolute in the barracks instead of the battles. Umbara would be his first mission in months.

He heard murmuring near the entrance of the mess. He turned around and saw Ahsoka running towards them. She was covered in dirt and was still wearing the same clothes she wore when she went missing, but she seemed fine otherwise.

He got up just in time for her to throw herself into his arms. She was a bit lighter than he expected, and she smelled like she hadn’t showered in weeks (though she lacked the strong armpit sweat smell he and his brothers would have after not showering for that long. Must be the lack of hair).

“Cyare, where have you been?” He got out under her freakishly strong hug.

“On an island where I was hunted for sport”

“That’s bad. Why do you always get in so much trouble?”

“I don’t know. But I’m used to dramatic events. My master taught me that”

He just pulled her closer. The dull ache in his chest that Kix had laughed off as if the cause was obvious and nothing to worry about was gone now.

* * *

Later that night, he lay awake with a freshly showered Ahsoka in his arms. She had fallen asleep almost instantly, but he didn’t want to fall asleep just yet. She was beautiful in his arms, and he didn’t want to miss this. The way she looked, how warm her body felt against his (even though she was noticeably cooler than his brothers) and the way she smiled as she grabbed his blacks in her sleep. It was all too precious. He would die for her without hesitation if that was ever necessary. But he’d prefer to stay alive for her, and stay with her forever. He thought about how he didn’t know anything about life after the war, since he has no concept of civilian life outside of the blatantly incorrect propaganda the Kaminoans had feed him as a cadet. But he wished she’d be there. Where he’d live, and under what circumstances didn’t matter.

And then he realised why Kix had laughed him off when he mentioned the chest pain. He was actually in love with her. He was screwed. Especially if Fives found out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading. I left Ahsoka’s story out of this because I didn’t want to spend time writing someone that happens the same way in canon


	17. The Darkness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath of Umbara

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn’t do the whole Umbara campaign because that would mostly be a rewrite of canon and I really hate doing that, so here’s some post Umbara hurt/comfort that also explains what happens to Hardcase now that Echo has joined them

Ahsoka felt uneasy as she waited for the gunships to land inside the hangar. Something felt off. She hadn’t had a full mission report about the ground assault on Umbara. She had heard that Krell had turned out to be a traitor, but she didn’t know the details yet.

When the gunships opened, her heart sank. None of the clones even looked at her or payed her any attention as they dragged their wounded brothers to the medbay. She immediately knew they wouldn’t fit in the medbay, there were too many wounded. About a third of what was left of the battalion was being brought to the medbay, but she could tell that all of them were in bad health. The ones with minor injuries, like Rex, were just hiding it so their more severely injured brothers would be treated first. He would never prioritise his sprained ankle over a brother who had been shot, and she admired that about him.

She commed the bridge to request as many medical frigates as possible to come to their aid and then she ran towards the first clone on a stretcher she could see.

She didn’t know him very well, but there were no time for introductions. He was part of Wave Company, and he had a blaster burn on his shoulder that had started to infect. She couldn’t kill the infection, but she could return strength to the tissue.

“Help me take his pauldron off” she ordered his brother, who immediately obeyed. She put her hands on the clones shoulder and soothed the burned flesh and helped it heal. The pus was pushed outside of the wound by the healing tissue, but she knew the bacteria were still in there.

“He only needs to be cleaned up now. Oh, and he needs antibiotics. After that he’s good to go. Maybe you shouldn’t go to the medbay for that, other clones need to be there more urgently” she told his brother, who saluted her before running back into the frenzy that was the hangar.

Usually the clones were very well organised, but none of them were at their best today. She linked her comm to the announcement system and started ordering them to sort by injuries. After she had it sorted out, she went to the burn unit to help out.

* * *

After the last clone was healed, she looked at Kix. The poor medic was technically off duty since he had multiple small injuries, but she knew not being allowed to help would stress him out more than the last few hours of hard work had. But now, the medic had collapsed and sat on the ground with his back to the wall.

“Are you okay, Kix?” she asked

“No” he mumbled. “I’m not”

“Is there anything I can do to help?“ She asked.

“No, I’m just exhausted. I should get back to the barracks” he said, as he tried to get up. His legs were shaking.

“Let me carry you“ she offered.

“I’m fine, Commander. Don’t worry about me,“ the medic said as he held on to the crate.

Ahsoka knew there was no point in arguing with him. She just walked towards him and picked him up bridal style. The medic tried to struggle a little, but he was to exhausted to resist and quickly accepted his fate.

When she reached the barracks, she put Kix on his own bunk and started removing his armour.

“Commander, you don’t have to-“

“It’s no problem, Kix. You tucked me in plenty of times. It’s only fair that I return the favour when you need it.” She said that she put the blankets on top of him.

Kix was to tired to protest much, so he mumbled something she couldn’t make out and fell asleep almost instantly.

On her way to the door, she noticed that Rex was looking at her from his bunk. She walked towards him.

“Are you Okay, Rex?“ She asked in a worried tone.

“No, sir. I’m not okay. All of this is my fault.“

“What? Of course it isn’t. Krell was the one who betrayed you. You didn’t force him to be a traitor, you had nothing to do with it.” She told him.

“Sir, I appreciate the sentiment. But I was the one who followed those orders. Orders that got my men killed. Orders to shoot at our own brothers.” He turned away from her, even though it hurt his sprained ankle.

She sat down on his bunk and pulled the blankets off his feet. She put her hands on the ankle, and used her last bit of energy to heal it. She was exhausted now, but the ankle healed as expected. He still needed to talk to her though. Especially since he had started using formalities with her again.

“And he was the one who ordered you to do it. You wouldn’t have done it if you hadn’t been ordered to”

“That’s not the point. I had a choice.“ Rex sighed.

“Did you really?“ she asked as she petted him through the blankets.

“Of course I did. That’s how I eventually managed turn on him. I just didn’t do it soon enough”

“Why didn’t you do it sooner then?” She asked. Rex sat up and looked at her angrily.

“Because I knew he could kill me for such insubordination. And then, no one would protect my brothers”

“Then you did the right thing”

“I guess so... but I should’ve known something was wrong when Krell ordered Fives, Echo, Jesse and Hardcase to be executed”

“What? How did that happen?” She said. This was worse than her quick skim through the report indicated. “And how the hell did Echo get involved?”

“Fives decided it was a good idea to take a crash course flying Umbaran Starfighters and try to blow up the supply ship from the inside. Jesse and Hardcase volunteered to go with him, and Echo had to join up with them because he couldn’t let Jesse be the responsible one. Luckily, Echo had done several pilot drills during his recovery.” Rex said as he lay down again “They were the only ones he could do. So he flew ahead of the other three, and blew up the supply ship before they could put up their ray shields. They made it down to the ground safely, except Hardcase. His fighter had been shot and he crashed. Broke his fibula, but he was otherwise fine”

“Wow, I’m proud of them”

“So was I. But Krell wasn’t. He tried to have them executed. I... I didn’t have the guts to do anything. Even though the new regs allowed it, I didn’t protest”

“Krell wouldn’t have cared. He would’ve killed you too. And it wouldn’t have saved them”

“I guess you’re right. But I still feel like I should have been able to fix it”

“I know” she said as she dragged herself on top of him and snaked her arms around him.

“Rex, Kix, Jesse. We’re making a pile, are you joining?” Fives said as he walked around the corner of a row of bunks.

Jesse got up immediately and picked up Kix to bring him to the pile, but Rex didn’t move.

“I already have someone to sleep with” he said.

“What’s a pile?” Ahsoka asked.

“Uhm... oh screw it” Fives said “if we feel like we need it, we sometimes sleep in a big pile in the middle of the barracks. The Kaminoans weren’t too happy with it, so we assumed the Jedi wouldn’t be either and we kept the habit a secret. But you’re our Vod in law now, so you can join too if you want. Just don’t make it awkward for the rest of us”

“Why would she make it awkward? She had done this before with us on cold nights on ice or desert planets” Rex asked.

“I know, but it’s different when it’s not for just sharing heat. And I didn’t mean that her presence would make it awkward, I just want the two of you to keep your blacks on if you know what I mean”

Ahsoka just sighed and rolled her eyes at him and got up to join the pile. Rex followed her, blatantly ignoring what Fives had just said.

When they arrived at the pile, she waited until Rex had picked a spot and settled down next to him. Fives curled up at her other side and fell asleep instantly.

Rex lay awake for a while, thinking about the last mission and the fact that it was over. He was here, with his brothers and Ahsoka. He instantly felt better as he pulled her close.

“Ahsoka?”

“Yes?”

“Promise me that you won’t leave me under someone else's command again”

“I promise”

In response, he pulled her even closer. She was still a bit colder than Echo, who the three of them were using as a pillow, but she felt warm in a different way. He felt safe with her, but he also felt some kind of thrill when he held her close. Like he had become weightless in the middle of a battle.

“I think General Skywalker threw me off another wall” he said in an attempt to describe the feeling to himself. Then, he realised that he had said that out loud. He wasn’t ready for that.

“Wha?” She asked, already half asleep

“Oh never mind” he said, in an attempt to turn his accidental confession into another way to annoy Fives. “I think I just fell for you all over again”

The entire pile groaned and Fives lifted a leg over Ahsoka to kick him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading :)


	18. The Slavers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The zygerria arc. Or rather an extra scene set during the arc

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that this is so short. School is busy and my other fic that I’m currently working on has a much more important chapter that needed my attention more plus, I didn’t really know how to deal with zygerria anyway

“So, is everyone ready to go?” Skywalker asked.

“Yes sir” Rex said as he stepped out of the changing room in Zygerrian armour. The set was crude and primitive, but it wasn’t the worst thing ever in terms of armour.

“No, I’m having some technical issues” Ahsoka said through the curtains.

“Rex, go help her. I have to check on the ship. Meet me there once you’re done. Take your time, just don’t do anything too loud”

“Sir, that is against protocol”

“I know. But I think she’d prefer it if you helped her out. Since you’re her boyfriend and that’s probably a lot less awkward than if I tried to help her”

“Right” Rex said as Skywalker walked away.

“Ahsoka? Do you need help?” He asked through the curtains.

“Yes” she said, sounding a bit muffled.

“Can I come in?”

“How else are you going to help me?”

He took that as a yes and walked into the changing room. Ahsoka was on the floor, bent over with her bare back exposed and all three of her lekku twisted in some kind of bright blue fabric that was all over her from her midriff to her montrals. At least she was still wearing underwear.

“I put it on wrong, tried to get it off and got stuck” she said.

“Okay. I’ll try to get you out” he said as he knelt down next to her and pulled the fabric on her midriff up. He then noticed that there were no bra straps in her back

“Uhm... you’re not wearing a bra, are you?” He asked awkwardly

“Nope. I don’t really need one and I hate the way the straps cut in your flesh”

“Noted. I’ll try to respect your privacy as much as possible”

“Thanks Rex. You won’t be in trouble if you see something accidentally though”

“Thank you, sir” he said, switching back to formality to deal with the awkwardness.

After a few minutes of opening fasteners, pulling lekku free and trying to avoid touching her inappropriately, he got the fabric off of her.

She stood up again, covering her chest with her left hand.

“Thanks for getting me out”

“No problem” he said, trying to focus on figuring out the garment he was holding to distract himself from the young woman standing in front of him in just her underwear. It was definitely not armour, it appeared to be some kind of dress with several cutouts.

Eventually, he figured out how the dress was supposed to go. “Do you need help putting it on?”

“Yeah, actually I do” she said, her lekku darkening a bit. He prayed to the force that this armour did a decent job of hiding what was happening underneath it.

“Step in” he said as he put the dress down on the floor in a circle. She stepped in the middle of it and he started pulling the dress up. This was even more awkward than untangling her. He basically had his face in front of her business and he was working his way up her body. Still, he got her inside the dress without any accidental exposures. The dress only went over one shoulder so she could keep her chest covered while he pulled up the dress.

“Thanks” she said as she pulled her hand out of her dress.

“No problem” he said “do you want anymore help or should I just leave now?”

“Yes, can you help me with this headpiece? I can’t do an unfamiliar headpiece without a mirror, and there’s no mirror in here”

“Yeah, there’s no need for a mirror when you have a couple million of genetically identical brothers who are putting on the exact same outfit”

“Well I’m an only child as far as I know, so I’m gonna need a mirror or some help”

He smirked and grabbed the headpiece. There was a pot of glue next to it.

“You were serious about the glue?” He asked

“Yeah, just don’t put too much on it. Here, let me show you” she said as she covered one on the parts with glue with a brush. “Now do the rest and then place the whole thing on my head. Hold it to my head for a few seconds and then it should be in place”

He did as she instructed and the headdress stuck.

“How does it come off?”

“Warm water or brute force. I prefer the water”

His commlink went off. “Rex, can you bring Ahsoka to the briefing room if she’s ready?”

“Yes sir. We’ll come right a-“ she suddenly smothered his mouth with her hand for a few seconds. He just made a confused noise.

“Ahsoka, now is not the time for that!” General Skywalker said over the comm “you can make out with Rex after the mission”

She smirked “trust me, I will” she said into his comm.

“Let’s go to the briefing room” Rex said, ignoring what just happened.

* * *

Later, on the ship, Ahsoka sat cloaked inside the veil she was wearing over the dress, thinking about what just happened. She was genuinely looking forward to the make out she promised Rex in an attempt to annoy her master, and she had felt completely comfortable being naked around him. Was this what relationships were supposed to feel like?

She decided she’d park the thought for now. She had a mission to do.

* * *

After the mission, she ran towards Rex and jumped straight into his arms. He smelled terrible, like he had done hard manual labour for days without showering. Which was probably exactly what happened. Still, holding him in her arms again felt amazing. She missed him and the feeling of safety she had while in his arms.

“I missed you too” he said into her montral.

She just smiled and pulled him closer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading


	19. The Chips

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fives is busted when he dechips a the newest shinies and he is forced to tell the chancellor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, we’re going straight to the inhibitor chips. I’ve switched around the arcs for plot reasons. Also they bought AZI-3 some time shortly after they found out about the chip specifically to remove the chips

Fives sat sideways in a chair outside of the small medical frigate General Skywalker had given him to pick up the newest members of his battalion. He had just explained the situation about the inhibitor chips to the shinies, all of whom had agreed to have it removed (even though some had clearly said that they didn’t have their own opinion and just wanted to comply with what the General wanted) and they were getting their chips removed. Now he was just looking at holovids on the holonet to kill time until they could take off. Which would be soon Echo was already in the pilot’s seat, checking the engines and doing a preflight check (his favourite part of flying, for some reason) and everything seemed to be going well.

“ARC-5555” a female voice above him said “what is the meaning of this?”

“Of what, sir?” He said without looking up.

“Do you address your General without standing to attention as well?”

“Actually yes. He told us it makes him uncomfortable if we stop doing what we’re doing unless he explicitly said so”

“Well, I’m not like that. Stand at attention”

“Yes sir” he said, not as enthusiastically as he knew she’d want and stood at attention.

She huffed. “Why are you using a medical frigate to pick up new clones instead of a cruiser?”

“General Skywalker crashed the cruiser”

“Did he also crash the cruiser last month and the month before that?”

“Yes sir” Fives said without hesitation “you can confirm that with General Ti”

The Kaminoan just stared at him, and then she pulled out a commlink.

“General Ti. ARC-5555 claims that General Skywalker crashes a cruiser every month and that that’s why he’s picking up the new recruits in a medical frigate. Can you confirm that this is in fact the case?”

He heard a sigh on the other end of the line. “I haven’t heard that specific story but knowing General Skywalker, this is most likely true”

“See, everything is fine” Fives said as AZI-3 rolled out of the frigate.

“All of the inhibitor chips have been removed. We’re ready for takeoff”

“What?” Nala Se asked “ARC-5555, come with me”

“Take off, AZI! Go! Don’t wait for me!” Fives ordered “Tell Echo to get them to safety!”

AZI-3 nodded and rolled inside, closing the door behind him. A few seconds later, the engines whined and the frigate took off, taking their new brothers to the 501st.

Several clone troopers in white and gray armour showed up and raised their blasters. He just raised his hands to accept his arrest. Coming quietly was his best shot at surviving this.

* * *

The door to his cell opened and Shaak Ti walked in.

“Hello Fives, how are you?”

“I could’ve been better. Thank you for asking” he said

“I want to know your side of the story. Nala Se told me her side, but it’s important that both sides are heard before we make a decision”

“Well, I was removing their inhibitor chips. We found out that those chips barely affect our loyalty, but they do cause horrific nightmares about being forced to kill our jedi. And General Skywalker found out that there is actually an order in there that would cause us to turn on the Jedi. There are orders to turn us against the chancellor or the civilian population as well. General Skywalker feared that these chips might be activated and wanted to remove them from as many clones as he could”

“Why didn’t he contact the Jedi council about this?” The Togruta asked

“I don’t know. I assume because he didn’t want the info to leak out to anyone since we don’t know who is behind it”

“Understandable, but we should still report this to the Republic. We will take you back to Coruscant, and you can report this to the chancellor personally”

“Yes Sir” Fives said, relieved. Everything would be alright now.

* * *

“So that’s why I believe we should remove all the inhibitor chips from the clones” Fives said as he finished his story.

“That is in fact very troubling. Are you okay, trooper?”

“I’m fine, Sir. Thank you for asking”

“General Ti, could you leave me alone with this trooper? You probably have more important duties to attend to.” He said to the Jedi master and his guards.

They nodded and left the room.

“So, you found out my plan?” The chancellor said as soon as he was alone with Fives “did you really think I would wilfully relinquish my puppet army and allow the Jedi to live?”

“What?” Fives asked, genuinely confused now.

“Oh, you don’t know? This was my plan all along. The clone army was never made to defeat the separatists. My apprentice Count Dooku is in full control of them and keeps them from winning the war. Eventually, Anakin Skywalker will snap under this prolonged war and fall to the dark side. Then, I will activate the chips and the clone army will fulfill its true purpose: to wipe out the Jedi Order. And then, I’ll discard then like the outdated field equipment that they are”

Fives took a few seconds to take it all in. And then, it hit him.

“You! You’re the Sith Lord!”

“Yes. I am”

Fives didn’t even think about his next action. He grabbed his blasters and shot at the chancellor. He felt the blasters jerk unnaturally in his hands and missed

“Help me!” The chancellor screamed, going back to his persona.

Shaak Ti and the guards ran back in the room. He panicked and sprinted out the office as fast as he could.

* * *

Anakin was just finished with the administration and was saying goodbye to Rex with Ahsoka when he saw fives sprint towards the barracks.

“Fives, what happened?” Ahsoka asked.

He tried to speak but he was out of breath. Then, he heard a blaster bolt behind Fives. He jumped up, dodging the bolt. He landed on the end of the platform and Anakin could see the panic on his face as Fives slipped down.

Without a second thought, he jumped after the ARC trooper and slowed him down with the force. When he landed next to him, he asked “what happened”

“Chancellor is a Sith. I need to run” Fives got out.

“Then go” he said “I’ll cover for you. Go into hiding”

Fives nodded and ran away into the darkness.

* * *

“Did you manage to catch the rogue ARC trooper?” Palpatine asked.

“No sir. He fell to his death at that platform” Anakin lied “I disposed of the body immediately since he fell in a garbage chute and it was a messy one”

“I can’t believe that he would just attack me like that. And then run away like a coward. We’re better off without him.”

Anakin said nothing for a moment. Then, he said “I want to go back to my other men”

“Of course my boy” he said as Anakin left the office with a vile taste in his mouth. Now that he knew the chancellor was a Sith, the act felt fake and manipulative. He’d do something about it, and he just had to make a plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, Fives is gone but at least he’s still alive


	20. The realisation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anakin admits to Echo, Ahsoka and Rex that he helped Fives fake his death, but Rex and Ahsoka still consider breaking up because the reason for their fake relationship is gone (even if he isn’t gone gone)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here’s the new chapter
> 
> A bit of a trigger warning: there are mentions of euthanasia and lethal injections. They are based on real life and detailed but not graphic. And with that I mean that the procedure is mentioned and explained but it doesn’t actually happen. It’s just a “this is how they’re done and the difference between them”.
> 
> I didn’t want to tag it on the fic itself because I would either have to add a lot of tag ramble to explain the context, or people would think that this fic is a lot angstier than it is

It was quiet in the barracks. Even Hardcase was staring blankly ahead on his bunk. The silence made Rex uncomfortable. He had grown to expect Hardcase or Fives to break the silence by now, but Hardcase was sitting before him, grieving with the rest of them and Fives was... gone. His name and number were deleted from the system and Rex had the message requesting a replacement for Fives in front of him.

He was good at compartmentalising his thoughts, so doing the paperwork hadn’t been that hard. Jesse was the best replacement for Fives’s rank, so he had a form ready for Jesse to be trained as an ARC Trooper and he had added one to the number of new recruits he’d need to make up for the losses the 501st had had recently. Still, deleting the file from the list had been hard. Of course, he made a copy for his own personal drives that he kept in his locker. All of his fallen brother’s files were in there, and if he died the drives would be given to someone else to keep. It was a GAR tradition that almost all battalions had. Saying the name of everyone they lost like the Mandalorians did would simply take up too much time. Still, Rex would say Fives’ name. As would Echo, and a lot of the clones Fives had been close too. Ahsoka might’ve taken up the tradition too, but he wasn’t sure about it. She never joined them but he knew she cared and that’s what mattered. They had said Fives’ name for the first time that evening and now he, Hardcase, Echo and Stitches couldn’t sleep. So they just sat on their bunks, staring ahead.

Suddenly, his comm and Echo’s beeped.
    
    
    Rex, Echo 
    
    Are you guys still awake? If you are, I want to see both of you in my office for some “unofficial business” so don’t bother kitting up to anything more than necessary
    
    -General Skywalker 

Rex groaned. Even if General Skywalker wasn’t discussing any secret relationships, he managed to make it sound like he was.

“So, off the General’s office” Echo sighed.

Rex just nodded and got up. When they got to the door, he put a hand on Echo’s shoulder. Echo stopped in his tracks and Rex just pulled his brother into a hug. Echo stiffened a bit and then he hugged him back. He probably hadn’t expected a hug, since Rex usually wasn’t much of a hugger. Not because he didn’t like hugs, it was mostly because he knew his hugs weren’t exactly pleasant when he was wearing full armour so he rarely took the initiative.

“Thanks, sir” Echo said as he relaxed in his commanders arms. “I needed that”

“No problem” he said as he let the ARC Trooper go. “Are you okay?”

“As okay as I could be I guess” Echo said. His tone made it very clear that he was not okay at all. “Let’s go to the General”

Rex nodded and followed Echo to the General’s office.

* * *

When Rex was let in his General’s office by the General, the first thing he noticed was Ahsoka huddled in a Jedi cloak in the meditation pillow on the floor.

“Ahsoka, are you okay?” He asked as he pushed past Skywalker and crouched down in front of her.

“I’m fine, just sad because Fives is gone and cold because _**someone**_ decided to physically yank me out of my bed and force me on a speeder in my pyjamas to get to the barracks at midnight”

“Snips, this is important. Sit on the chair”

“No”

“Let me help you” Rex said as he grabbed the pillow she was sitting on and lifted her, pillow and all, onto the middle of the three chairs General Skywalker had set out for them. He sat down next to her and Echo took the last chair. General Skywalker sat down in front of them.

“I have a confession to make”

Rex could almost hear Ahsoka think “if you’re going to tell us that you’ve been secretly married to Senator Amidala I’m throwing you out the window” and he tried not to snort at that.

“I lied about Fives. He’s not dead. I’m sorry”

“What!?” Echo exclaimed “why would you lie about something like that?”

“Because Fives found out that Chancellor Palpatine is the Sith Lord we've been looking for, and we were forced to fake his death. Otherwise, the Republic would’ve hunted him down and he’d take the intel to his grave”

All three of them were silent

“The chancellor?” Rex asked, breaking the silence.

“I didn’t believe it either. But I saw how quickly he turned on Fives, and how he seemed to expect me to turn on Fives as well”

“Why are you telling us this now?” Ahsoka asked.

“I couldn’t watch you mourn him any longer. And I felt guilty. But you still shouldn’t tell the others. I’m taking a risk in trusting you three already, I can’t risk the Chancellor finding out what happened.”

“What did happen? I saw him fall” Ahsoka said.

“I caught him with the force, and he told me the Chancellor is the Sith Lord. Then, he ran off. I received a comm message from him an hour ago while I was busy uh... discussing the situation with Senator Amidala, and I didn’t see it in time to answer” he said as he put the text message in the holodisplay so everyone could see it.
    
    
    General,
    I have found a job and shelter. It has been approximately 12 hours since I was sent to pick up the new recruits now in case the timestamp is off. I didn’t sync my clock with the barracks clock, and I’ve send this from a 212th scramble set Rex borrowed from Cody that I stole from him. It's probably better if I keep my comm off as much as possible, but I will periodically check up on how the things are going back home. Please keep this scramble set valid and do not contact me, I don’t want to risk being found. I’ll return when it’s over
    -Fives
    
    P.S. Apologise to Rex for me

“Are you sure we can’t try to contact him?” Echo asked.

“No, I don’t think he’d want us to risk that” Rex said. “But I’ll make sure Cody doesn’t replace the current scramble set. It’s not actually a 212th set anymore, we use it for the commander’s group chat that Cody and I made. So he can contact me, Cody, Ahsoka, Wolffe, Bly and some others”

“Okay, so that’s at least two people he trusts. Can you put me on the scramble set as well?” Echo asked.

“Yeah, no problem. Just don’t post anything stupid in the command chat like Fives did” Rex said “I’ll miss that bastard”

“So will I” Ahsoka said.

“Yeah me too” Skywalker said.

Echo said nothing, but he didn’t have to.

“So, I think I’ll let Ahsoka sleep here tonight so I won’t have to drag her through the streets in her pyjamas again” General Skywalker said.

“Sounds like a great idea sir” Rex said “she can sleep with me in the commander’s quarters”

The General shot Rex an annoyed look.

“No, Anakin. Not like that” Ahsoka said.

“Yeah, I don’t think either of us are in the mood for anything like that after today” he added.

“Good” Skywalker said “I already told you two I didn’t want to know any details, I don’t even want to know that it’s happening at all”

“I know master” Ahsoka said, rolling her eyes at her master.

* * *

Later that night, Ahsoka lay awake next to Rex, who wasn’t sleeping either. They hadn’t curled up together like they usually did, and she could tell something was wrong here. They just stared at the ceiling for some time until Rex broke the silence.

“Do you think we should just break up now?” He asked.

Ahsoka felt something odd at that. A jolt, similar to the one she felt when she saw a blaster pointed at her. But it hurt more.

“No, I don’t think we should” she said.

“Why not?” Rex asked “this whole thing was because we wanted to make Fives regret pushing us together. We have no reason to be together anymore, and I don’t want a fake relationship”

His words stung, but the idea of making him do something he didn’t want made her feel even worse.

“You have a point there. But I’m not sure if breaking up now is a good idea. Morale is low as it is, and I don’t think it will improve if both of the commanders aren’t on speaking terms with each other”

“Yeah, good point. But I didn’t want to fight anyway, I wanted an amicable breakup”

Ahsoka sighed.

“Yeah me too, but I don’t know how we can pull that off”

“Just both move on?” He suggested.

“Won’t work. At least, not unless we let our fake relationship die out somewhat naturally and that would take months”

“Good point. Maybe we can pretend like the Jedi order found out and forced you to break up with me?”

“Nope. General Skywalker has a plan for that scenario. He has a fake document ready to “prove” that he already knew and that you’ve already been punished for the action. If he has to pull it out, you’ll be stripped of your rank and transferred to the 212th ASAP”

“Damn, that’s harsh”

“It’s the better than what you’d normally get for this kind of fraternisation”

“Reconditioning?”

“Yeah, or execution”

Rex shivered, so she put an arm around him. She knew that the Kaminoans used a different method for execution than what they used for euthanasia. Euthanasia involved putting them under anesthesia first, then they were given something that paralysed all the muscles, including the heart. It wasn’t painful at all and usually only done on clones that were either too wounded to defective to have a life functioning inside the GAR.

Execution was different. No anesthesia was used, they were given a sedative instead. Then, they were given a muscle relaxant that was only to stop them from flailing around as the third drug was injected - which would cause cardiac arrest. She had heard terrible stories about that method of execution, mostly that the first and second drug didn’t cause them to become unconscious and they could cause the poor clone to suffocate if the third drug wasn’t given in time. And the third drug would feel like fire being injected into their veins.

Even though Rex knew it wouldn’t happen to him, she could still feel him trembling a bit. He was probably thinking the same thing she was, or maybe one of his brothers was subjected to this. It would definitely have happened to Dogma if General Skywalker hadn’t stepped in and convinced them that Dogma should be punished for killing an unarmed enemy instead of a superior officer, because that’s what Krell was at the time Dogma killed him. He was now serving a life sentence instead.

She pulled him close and stroked his hair, and she felt him calm down.

After they laid there for a few moments, she remembered what they were discussing earlier.

“Maybe we could pretend like it got in the way of our duties?”

“Wouldn’t work unless it actually got in the way of our duties. We won’t fool them if the battalion is still functioning properly, and I’m not willing to risk the 501st becoming any more dysfunctional”

She snorted at that.

“Maybe we should stay together until we figure something out” she suggested.

“Yeah, we probably should” he said, rolling around so he faced away from her “we should probably get some sleep first though”

“Yeah, definitely” she said as she put an arm around him and put her face in his neck. “Good night”

“Night” he replied.

Shortly after he said that, she could feel his breathing even out and she knew he had fallen asleep.

She wondered why the idea of breaking up their fake relationship had genuinely hurt her. She knew they wouldn’t do this forever, and that they had already gone a bit too far. Faking a relationship just to get back at Fives had been dramatic enough as it was. Why was she so dramatic in the first place? Because she was Anakin Skywalker’s padawan, stupid question. Maybe she took after her master in more ways than just the dramatic behaviour though. She noticed that she took it a lot harder when clones died than the rest of the order seemed to do. Few Jedi were actually okay with it, but treated it as a necessary sacrifice instead of a tragedy. She was definitely not good at blocking out her attachments to the clones. It didn’t affect her ability to do her duty though, so it didn’t worry her.

In fact, holding Rex in her arms reminded her of what she was fighting for. She wanted him and his brothers to be safe, and for that the war had to end. She wanted to watch them go out into the real world and be free to live their lives as they wanted. And she wanted to be by his side through it all. The thought of Rex moving out of the barracks, learning how to cook and clean and studying and trying to find a new job, and she could help him adapt and she could make sure all of the brothers they were close to would get together once month and then they’d have fun and then afterwards she and Rex would go home and- she just realised she was living with Rex in her hypothetical perfect future.

And then it hit her. She was in love with him. It explained everything. Why the thought of “breaking up” hurt even though she didn’t want to be in a fake relationship forever, why she felt so comfortable yet so nervous around him, why she had been risking her life even more for him on the battlefield... she mentally slapped herself. She couldn’t be with him. Even if she completely ignored the code like her master did, she’d still be in trouble over the ranks. He still had to take orders from her, and she didn’t want to risk ordering him accidentally. She also didn’t want him to stay in a relationship with her because she liked it if the feelings weren’t mutual. She knew he’d do it. He’d do anything to make her happy. And she wouldn’t let him do that. She had to find a way to tell him that made sure he wouldn’t say yes unless he absolutely wanted to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed that chapter, even though it was a bit sadder and angstier than usual
> 
> At least Anakin now understands why Obi-Wan did what he did during the Rako Hardeen arc and he can start moving on and forgiving Obi-Wan for that


	21. The Suspicion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ahsoka comes back from the front to investigate the bombing of the Jedi temple. Things go downhill fast

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There’s gonna be some skipped parts in this chapter, but the skipped parts are the parts that are the same in canon

Rex looked out the window in a busy corridor in the GAR complex. His brothers were busy doing whatever their duties were for that day, but he kept an eye on the smoke rising from the Jedi temple. It had been bombed just a few hours ago, and he would make sure his brothers knew immediately if it got worse. Still, he wasn’t really thinking about the temple. He was thinking about the situation he had gotten himself into with Ahsoka. This fake relationship had to end, it wasn’t right. Not now he knew that he genuinely wanted her. As much as he enjoyed sleeping with her, it felt wrong to take advantage of her willingness to annoy Fives. Even though it was actually just sleeping together, it had to stop. She deserved better than a fake relationship with a clone who might not even make it to the end of the war. But he knew that breaking up with her was going to be hard. Not just because part of him didn’t want to, but also because it couldn’t ruin their friendship or professional relationship. She had rejected his attempt to break up, but he didn’t want it to continue like this and he had to figure out something. He wasn’t in a hurry though. She was on Cato Neimoidia now with Skywalker and the pilots. He and the other infantrymen were left behind on extra leave.

Suddenly, his train of thought was broken by the sound of someone slapping plastoid. He turned around to see what could have caused the noise when Ahsoka pulled him down into a passionate kiss that he returned immediately. He heard several clones giggle He enjoyed this part of their fake relationship a bit too much if he was honest with himself, but she had taken the initiative this time so it should be okay.

“You’re back” he said when he broke the kiss.

“Anakin and I are investigating that” she said as she pointed at the temple behind him. “but I wanted to see you first”

“Thanks, Ahsoka” He said as he kissed her forehead. The giggling continued in the background. Even if Fives wasn’t there, annoying his men a bit was fun.

"No problem, cyare” she said. He melted a bit at that. Even if she didn’t mean it, he still appreciated that she learned the word for sweetheart in mando'a.

“I gotta go” Ahsoka said “Take care”

“I will” he said as he spotted an annoyed looking General Skywalker standing in the doorway “good luck finding the culprit”

“Thanks” she said as she slapped his skidplate, winked at him and walked back to the General. That explained the noise from earlier.

The General rolled his eyes, visibly annoyed. “Was that really necessary, snips?”

“Yes. Besides, you owe me one for that time I told Obi-Wan you were grocery shopping for the boys”

Rex smiled to himself. Maybe he should ask her about making it a real thing. Or maybe she was just convincing enough to fool him too. He couldn’t tell honestly. He’d definitely have to think about it.

* * *

Ahsoka sighed. She had gotten the culprit captured. Letta Turmond was arrested and she had requested to talk to Ahsoka personally. She had never done an interrogation before, so she was nervous. Still, she could do this. Fox opened the cell door for her.

“What do you want, Letta?”

“I was told that you were the Jedi to talk to if I ever needed help”

Ahsoka turned to Fox and the two guards “leave us”

They complied and Ahsoka was left alone with the woman.

“Why do you think I’d help you?” She asked.

“I was told you’d help me by my accomplice”

“I can’t promise you anything, but I’ll see what I can do if you’ll cooperate. Who is this _accomplice_?” Ahsoka asked. She knew it was a long shot, but maybe Letta would be willing to give up their identity.

“I had two accomplices. One is a human named Bradtal Bettsell, but I’ve never seen him in real life. I only met him on the holonet and I couldn’t find anything else about him. The other was a Jedi”

“Which Jedi?” Ahsoka asked  
Letta tried to speak, but she was suddenly silenced and lifted into the air. She struggled against the invisible hand around her throat. Ahsoka scanned the the room while she fruitlessly tried to pry the force from Letta’s neck, but she found nothing and just felt a cold, burning hatred. She had never felt anything like it, not even from the Sith she had faced.

Letta’s lifeless body collapsed onto the floor of the cell when Commander Fox burst in. Great. Fox was one of the few clones she actually disliked, and not just for trying to kill Fives. He was also a spoiled brat who acted like he was better than the other commanders due to his extremely low casualty numbers (completely ignoring the fact that the Coruscant Guard rarely saw actual combat) and regularly disrespected her and the other Jedi as much as the regs allowed it.

“I can’t say I blame you, Commander. But you’re under arrest”

She just raised her hands. As much as she disliked Fox, she didn’t want to fight him. Besides, Anakin would get her out in no time.

* * *

“What do you mean, you can’t let me talk to her?” Anakin said.

“Sorry Sir, but it’s against the regulations”

Anakin was livid. First, Fox almost killed Fives and then he had arrested Ahsoka. And now, he was denying him a visit to his own padawan.

“I don’t care about the regulations. I. Want. To. Visit. My. Padawan.”

“Sorry sir, I only take orders from the chancellor himself”

“Then I want to talk to the chancellor”

“Sorry, sir. The chancellor is busy”

“Just let me see my padawan” Anakin said as he grabbed the clone by the front of his collar and pulled him over the counter.

Fox said nothing, he just pushed a button on the underside of the counter. Two shock troopers walked in.

“Stand down, General” Fox ordered.

“No” he said as he pushed both shock troopers against the wall with the force and pulled Fox over the counter.

The commander started to protest now, and tried to force his fingers away from his collar, but he was unsuccessful. Anakin’s steel grip was unbreakable for the clone. Anakin lifted the clone in the air and pushed him against the wall next to the usually rayshielded window.

“My boy, what are you doing?” a concerned voice said behind him.

Anakin turned around and saw the chancellor standing there, and he felt an even bigger jolt of anger at the sight of the man.He still wouldn’t have suspected that this man, who had been the closest thing he ever had to a grandfather, was the Sith Lord they’d been looking for. He hadn’t told anyone aside from Padmé, Ahsoka, Rex and Echo. If Fives has been wrong, which was a possibility he couldn’t rule out, the result of accusing him would cause way more trouble for him, Fives, the Jedi order and the whole Republic. He had decided to feign ignorance until he had solid proof, and he would try to find it.

“I have to see my padawan, but _he_ won’t let me” he replied.

“My boy, please let the good Commander go. He’s only doing his duty”

“Fine” he said as he dropped the clone.

“I’m so sorry that your padawan went so wrong” the Sith said.

“She’s innocent, I know it” He argued.

“I’d like to believe that too, but you saw the footage”

“Her hands were off. She was making a grabbing motion, not a squeezing motion”

“That might’ve been a beginner’s mistake or an attempt to make it more brutal. Unless there was a second force user nearby, the evidence does point in the direction that she’s the murderer” Palpatine said.

“That makes sense I guess” he said, even though it still didn’t.

“Don’t worry, my boy. We’ll find out if she's guilty or not at her trial. I’m sure justice will be served”

Something about that sentence rubbed Anakin the wrong way. Like there was a very subtle hint of malice that he hadn’t noticed before, but that had always been there.

* * *

Rex still couldn’t believe it as he ran through the sewer. Ahsoka had been accused of murder and escaped custody, killing two brothers in the process. It felt like an odd fever dream, but he had seen her flee from them as they chased her. And now here they were, in the sewer. Chasing her.

He heard voices up ahead. It sounded like Ahsoka was arguing with the General. He walked up to the corner and peeked around. There they were. He couldn’t hear their voices clearly enough to make out what they were saying, not with all the chatter in the comms. He approached them slowly, almost casually. She turned around, facing depth in front of her. She wasn’t going to, was she?

She jumped. Without thinking, he ran after her. He pushed General Skywalker out of the way and jumped.

That was a mistake. The ship she had just landed on was way too far down for him to survive that fall, even if he managed to land on it. He remembered what one of the pilots had told him and tried to turn mid-air. If he landed on his legs, there was a chance he’d survive a fall from any height. He’d break both of his legs obviously, but they might not euthanise him if General Skywalker vouched for him. If he would. Jumping into Coruscant’s depths like this without the option to break your own fall was too reckless, even for Skywalker.

He was taken out of his thoughts by the familiar tug of the force being used on his body. Ahsoka had saved him and was levitating him towards her. She put him down at the edge of the ship. He took off his helmet and looked at her

“Rex! What were you thinking?” Ahsoka asked. He couldn’t answer, because he genuinely didn’t know what he was thinking.

“Ahsoka, what are you thinking?”

“I’m being framed. Someone killed Letta with the force, and I’m being framed. I need to prove my innocence, and I can’t do that while I’m locked up. I thought Skyguy was breaking me out, but then I found dead clones. And I know what that footage looks like, and I don’t know how to prove that I wasn’t choking her with the force”

“I know, don’t worry. We’ll figure it out” he said.

“Good job, Rex” he heard Fox over the comm on his wrist. It was loud enough for Ahsoka to hear as well “now arrest her”

He looked at her “I’m sorry, Commander” he said.

“Rex...”

He turned off his comm. “I’m coming with you”

“Thank you, Rex” she said as she ran over to him and hugged him.

“No problem” he said as he held her while the descended into Coruscant’s dark underbelly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and for all the feedback


	22. The Apartment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rex escapes with Ahsoka, but they’re captured by bounty hunters. Luckily, an old ally shows up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the next chapter :) real life is a bit chaotic right now with finals coming up, so if I start missing chapters don’t worry. I’ll still post them, just later

“I think we lost them” Rex said. Ahsoka just kept walking through the dark alley. This was a nightmare. She was being framed for a crime she didn’t do, and no one, not even her master, was helping her.

Well, Rex had tried. But she wasn’t sure if he’d be of much help. As much as she loved him, he was republic property and they could track him down and find her.

“Yeah, I hope we can keep them off our tail”

“Don’t worry, they won’t find us”

“Are you sure they can’t track you?”

“Yeah, the trackers don’t work well on Coruscant. Too much interference. They could track my commlink, but I turned it off”

“That’s a relief. Still, you shouldn’t have followed me”

“Why not? Do you really think I’d just let you leave alone?”

“You should have. Now you’ll get in trouble for insubordination or desertion. Or worse, treason”

“I doubt General Skywalker will see it that way”

“I was worried about Fox”

“That’s fair. But there’s nothing that can be done about that now”

“I suppose there is no point in arguing anymore. Let’s find a place to stay”

“Yeah, we-“ he suddenly fell down.

She spun around and tried to grab her sabers, but they weren’t there. She saw a blue flash of light and fell to the ground, stunned.

* * *

She woke up in complete darkness with her hands tied behind her back with what felt like zip ties. She groaned, and her head was foggy.

“Sssh” Rex whispered, somewhere in the darkness “try to listen. Can you hear what they’re saying?”

She went quiet and tried to listen. There were voices. She could just make out what they said.

“Make sure they don’t escape. If you can do that” a male voice said.

“Of course I can, what kind of idiot do you take me for?” A familiar sounding male voice said.

“I don’t know what’s wrong with you, you lab-rat! All I know is that you’ve failed miserably at living up to your potential”

“Yeah, seriously” another voice, this one female, said “How can you be a clone of the legendary Jango Fett, and be so bad at bounty hunting?”

“I already told you that I have no experience in bounty hunting! I always wanted to learn, I really did. But I don’t think it’s working out”

“Well, what other options do you have? Work alone even though you’re terrible at this?” The male voice said.

“Crawl back to the Republic?”

“No... I... Fine. I’ll watch the prisoners while you two find the highest bounty on their heads”

“We put those zip ties on the door so we can know if you’ve tried to break in. The bounty on the girl is for unharmed, so don’t get any funny ideas” the male voice said.

“I would never! How dare you even suggest-“

“Yeah yeah, just make sure you won’t let this one escape too” the female voice said.

She heard the door close as the two bounty hunters left.

“Ugh, maybe they’re right. Maybe I’m just not cut out to be a bounty hunter” the clone said.

“It can’t be” she said to herself.

“Ahsoka, please be quiet” Rex whispered.

“Rex, you don’t understand. I think Fives is one of the bounty hunters”

“What?” Rex said “how can you tell?”

“Can’t you hear his voice?”

“No”

“Right. Sorry, I forgot humans have bad hearing”

“Ahsoka, are you sure?”

“Not 100%, they still all sound muffled. And he sounds a lot more depressed than Fives usually does. But he’s definitely a clone and alone. We could take him if we have to”

“Ahsoka, we’re both bound”

She didn’t respond and wiggled her way over to the door, which she could just make out from the light that showed through the gap underneath it.

“Fives! Is that you?” She asked

“Commander Tano?” He replied.

“Yes, it’s me. Can you get us out?”

“Us? Who’s with you?”

“Rex”

“I should’ve known. Hold on, I’m getting you out”

She heard him rummaging around, and then the the door opened to reveal Fives, holding a pair of scissors.

He looked terrible honestly. He still had his armour, but it was repainted with low quality brown paint that was coming off already, especially at the boots. His goatee has grown into a full beard and his hair had grown out a lot too. It was half covering his ears and looked like it hadn’t been cut in the last two months. Which made sense, since he’d left the GAR 2 months ago

Still, she recognised him immediately. He knelt down and pulled her into a hug.

“I’ve missed you”

“I’ve missed you too” she said as she relaxed into his hug “but can you please free my hands?”

“Of course” he said as he cut the zip ties before letting go of her and moving on to Rex.

“What are you doing here, Fives?” He asked as he rubbed his wrists while sitting on the closet’s floor.

“I joined up with these bounty hunters because I needed money for everything, even food! It’s ridiculous!” He said as he sat down against the door frame.

“That’s how civilian life works” Ahsoka shrugged “wait until you hear about housing prices. 700 credits a month is low”

“What!” Fives said.

“‘Soka, I was approximately 1500 credits” Rex said “I doubt a house would be that expensive”

“Yeah, can’t someone do something about that?” Fives asked

“Well, it’s the Republic’s responsibility to make sure the housing prices remain affordable, among other things. But they’re too preoccupied with the clone wars to do that. That’s why there are so many protests and-“ she pushed her emotions down as soon as she started to feel angry.

“And what, commander?” Fives asked in a concerned tone.

“The protesters bombed Jedi temple and she was framed for it” Rex explained

“That’s... bad. And I know the feeling, commander. We could start a support group for those accused of treason”

“Thanks” she said bitterly.

“I think I might be in trouble soon as well” Rex said “I might have sided with her against orders”

Fives just snorted “I knew it”

“So... What’s our plan about your new friends?” Rex asked.

“We ambush them. I’ve been meaning to escape from them for a while, and now I have enough manpower to do so. I’ll get the two of you some food, and when I hear them coming I’ll lock you two in the closet again. They’ll probably be back in half an hour, and when they open the closet we can ambush them”

“Good idea. What kind of weapons do they use?” Rex said.

“Blasters, set to stun by default”

“This should be easy, but what do we do with them?” Ahsoka asked. “I know they might deserve it if they hurt you, but I don’t want to murder someone while trying to find proof that I didn’t murder anyone”

“Good point,” Fives said “I guess we could stun them, bind them with zip ties and then I’ll collect on the bounty they have on them”

“Sounds good. Where’s the food?” Ashoka asked.

“Right here” Fives said as he grabbed rations from a box that was sitting next to him inside the closet.

“Great. Rations” Ahsoka said as she grabbed two ration bars and handed one to Rex

“Sorry, we don’t have any better. And we stole this box from the GAR”

“How did that happen?”

“It’s not hard to steal from clones who aren’t allowed to even touch civilians in self defence” Fives said, shrugging “and it’s not like the GAR won’t replace it.”

“Fair” she said as she chewed the tasteless carbs and protein “by the way, I’m unarmed in case you hadn’t noticed. So what’s the plan for fighting them exactly?”

“I hadn’t noticed that” Fives admitted. “They usually don’t disarm their prisoners if they’re bound. I don’t know why, they’re just terrible bounty hunters but they don’t want to admit that that’s why I haven’t picked it up yet” Rex snorted and pulled out a blaster, which he handed to her.

“It’s almost impossible to miss at close range, especially when you use stun” he elaborated.

“Thanks” She said.

“So, the plan is simple. If they both open the door, you each shoot one and I’ll shoot both for good measure. If only one opens the door, you two take that one while I stun the other.“

“And if something else happens?” She asked

“We’ll improvise, like always” Rex said

They all ate together in silence, waiting for footsteps coming up the stairs to the dull apartment building.

Ahsoka was just about to say something when Fives got up.

“They’re here” he said quietly “Get ready”

They nodded and got back in the closet, ready to fire. She heard Fives secure the door with a new zip tie.

“How are the prisoners, knock-off Jango?” The woman said.

“Still unconscious as far as I can hear”

“Good”

“We checked their bounties” the man said “The Republic has a high bounty on the Togruta, but their bounty on clones isn’t that high. However, there is a high bounty on a few specific clones. Can you check his number?”

Ahsoka handed Rex back his blaster and lied down as quietly as possible. He followed her example. Fives opened the door and dragged Rex out. She stayed down but drew on the force to heighten her awareness

She heard fives gently tap a countdown on Rex’s helmet, and the she heard several stun bolts being fired.

“We got them” Fives said so she got up and walked out of the closet into the shabby apartment.

“That was easy” Rex said.

“Like I said, they weren’t very good bounty hunters” Fives said as he tied them up with zip ties. She couldn’t really make out any features. Like many bounty hunters, their faces were hidden behind a helmet and their bodies were covered in brown, layered clothing.

“I’m going to turn them in before they wake up,” Fives said “Rex, can you come with me? I need you to carry one of them to the speeder”

“Right” Rex said as he grabbed the male bounty hunter and went outside, leaving her alone in the unfamiliar apartment.

* * *

After putting the bounty hunters on the speeder, Rex opened the door to the apartment. Inside, he found Ahsoka sitting on the couch. She looked sad.

“What’s wrong?” He asked, already knowing the answer.

“You already know” she said.

“I just wanted to make sure that there wasn’t anything new”

“I know”

He put his helmet away and sat down next to her and pulled her close. She leaned into him, probably out of habit.

“To be honest,“ she said “there is something else. But I don’t know how to say it“

“you can always tell me anything”

“I know, but this might come off the wrong way.“

“I know the feeling“ he said, as he thought about his feelings for her and how he didn’t want to tell her out of fear that she might take it the wrong way.

“Okay then,” she said. “I don’t want to be in this fake relationship anymore“

“To be honest, me neither” he said.

“Yeah, but I don’t really mean that I want to break up with you“ she said, sounding nervous.

“But you said-“

“Rex, I want this to be real. But, if you don’t feel the same way, I’ll respect that”

He just stared at her. His mind wasn’t really processing this. Was she trying to say that she felt the same way? That couldn’t be it.

“You... want me?” He stammered.

“Yes, I want you. But only if you want me too. I was afraid of asking, because I don’t want you to just do what I want. I want us to be together as equals. And I was afraid that our ranks would make it difficult. So that’s why am asking you now, when we are away from the GAR, and when there’s no rules that you have to follow about obeying me.“

He couldn’t believe what he was hearing, this must be a dream of some kind. But if it was, he didn’t want to miss out on there this was going.

“I love you too” he said before kissing her on the lips. She kissed him back, with more passion than usual. It somehow felt much more real than the previous kisses they shared.

He felt her move, and realised she was trying to straddle him. He helped to lift her onto his lap, and moved his hands over her hips. That only seemed to encourage her, and she grabbed his head and pulled him even closer, opening her mouth a bit to let him in

He grabbed her hips with one hand, and moved his other hand to her back. With her whole weight supported, he rolled them both over so he was on top of her on the couch, leaning over her. In response, she wrapped her legs around his waist and broke the kiss.

“Armour. Off.” She ordered.

He got up on his knees and started removing the armour from his upper body while she still had her legs wrapped around him. When all the plates were off, she started pulling on his blacks.

“Those as well?“ He asked.

She nodded, biting her lip seductively.

Something inside his stomach jumped at that, but something didn’t feel right as well.

“Ahsoka, I’m not sure if I’m ready for... that. Yet”

“Okay, I understand” She said “I just wanted to see you shirtless today though”

“Well, that can be arranged” He said as he pulled his shirt off.

He could feel her eyes travel over his torso. No one has ever looked at him like that. Like he was special.

“Any chance you would return the favour?“

“Probably,“ Ahsoka said, smirking “But I’d prefer to do that if there’s no risk of Fives walking in”

“Fair enough” he said as he leaned down and kissed her again. She started to explore his upper body with her hands, removing her gloves after just a few seconds.

Suddenly, he heard the door open.

“The bounty on them was three thous- oh for Force’s sake!” Fives said, indignantly.

“Sorry, just couldn’t help myself” she said, not looking apologetic at all.

“Okay, I was going to offer to let you two to stay with me, but clearly we need some rules” Fives said as he walked towards another door.

“This is their old bedroom. You two can have it now, but you keep everything in there. The living room is mine. The couch is mine. I sleep on the couch, you two sleep in the bedroom. And in return for taking the couch, I get the peace of mind to know that I won’t have to walk in on... activities. Now, get off my couch”

Ahsoka kicked him off, snickering. He landed on the hard ground, and the pain of landing on his discarded armour assured him that he wasn’t dreaming.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed reading that. Let me know what you think :)
> 
> [Here](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21983995/chapters/52459033) is the link to the nsfw fic that covers the next events ;)
> 
> P.S. a credit is about as might as a dollar or euro or at least close to that value I think. The 1500 figure would be extremely low for a fully trained clone, but I headcanon that the republic pays for the food, shelter and training for the clones in bulk. So this is basically just the cost of making them with lab-grown eggcells and letting them grow inside the jar


	23. The Encounter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Ahsoka and Rex move in with Fives, they notice something is off about him

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here’s the new chapter. It’s time to find out why this is tagged “force sensitive clone” ;)
> 
> By the way, if there is interest in covering the events of the night before, please tell me. I’m considering writing it in a seperate fic, which I’ll link to here for those who want to read all of it chronologically. But it’ll probably take some time (think at least a week) due to real life being busy

Rex woke up in bed with Ahsoka sprawled out on top of him. They hadn’t done much last night, just some heavy petting and making out. He didn’t want to move too fast, and he didn’t want her to think he expected anything from her. Not that he didn’t want anything, but he preferred to let her decide when she wanted to do that. He was in no hurry, and he had heard that it could hurt her since it would be her first time as well. Maybe he could ask Kix for advice, he was a medic after all and might know more about the anatomical part of it and he had said that he’d prefer their awkward/stupid questions over treating crotch rot or getting a surprise nephew. Even if both of the scenarios were impossible in his situation, Kix would probably not mind giving advice. Rex sighed. Despite only being gone for a little over 24 hours, he already missed his brothers.

He wished he had a way to get back to them, but he couldn’t. Ahsoka needed his help in proving her innocence. They had already gotten further than he expected to be at this point, since they had shelter (albeit an old house that no one legally owned and that had been used as a hideout by various criminals for several years) and the bounty Fives had received would cover groceries for at least a few months.

Speaking of food, he was starving. He pushed Ahsoka off him and got up.

“Rex?” She asked, sleepily.

“I’m just getting up to make us some breakfast, cyar’ika”

“Kay” she mumbled as she curled up again. She was still dressed in the clothes she had worn last night. That is, her usual battle dress and leggings. Her bracers, gloves, armbands (or whatever they were called, he wasn’t an expert on women’s clothing), belt, headdress and boots were all on the floor next to her bed. He had also stripped off all his armour and was just wearing the lower half of his blacks.

In the living room, Fives was sleeping on the couch with a few stolen GAR issue blankets. Rex wondered how common they were among civilians. He went into the kitchen and started looking through the cabinets. He found some food, mostly rations but there were a few nuna eggs and noodles, as well as some oatmeal and biscuits. The fridge had blue milk in it too. Nice. The only problem was that Ahsoka couldn’t really eat that many carbs. She could eat some carbs, but it’d upset her stomach and it didn’t really give her a lot of energy. Eggs were the closest thing to meat he had. He cracked two of them and put them in a pan and broke the yolk so he could make her an omelette. He might not be the best cook, but he knew how to cook edible food. It had been part of the survival training he had

Behind him, he heard Ahsoka yawn “whatcha cooking?” She asked.

“I’m making some eggs for you. They’re the only proteins in the house so I figured Fives and I can survive on just carbs and rations until we get groceries”

“Are you sure? I could share it. You two need protein too”

“We can do without it for a few days. A few months if we have to, but then we’d lose a bit of muscle mass. We’ll be fine, trust me”

“If you say so” She said.

He shook the pan and the omelette moved. Good, that meant that this side was done. Now he was supposed to flip it, right? He couldn’t see a spatula, but he was a commander. He could do without. So he lifted the pan, ready to flip the omelette in the air when the handle broke off and the pan flung towards him. He froze, bracing himself for the moment when the hot iron would hit his bare abdomen

It never came. When he opened his eyes, the pan was floating in front of him

“Rex, are you okay?” Fives asked as he burst into the room

“Yeah, I’m fine” he said as Ahsoka moved the pan back onto the fire and flipped the egg with the force. Show-off.

“How did you know he was in danger?”

“I thought I heard him scream”

“I didn’t, and I was standing next to him and I have better hearing”

“That’s odd” Fives said

“Yeah, that’s really weird.” Rex said. “Weren’t you just asleep?”

“Yeah, you woke me up”

Ahsoka just frowned, deep in thought as she watched the eggs in the pan.

He shrugged and just made his own breakfast and Fives'.

* * *

When they sat down, Ahsoka was still staring Fives down. She was getting suspicious by now, and he didn’t know why.

“Does that happen often?”

“Hm?” He asked, unaware of what she was referring too.

“Hearing things that others don’t hear”

“Sir, I’m not hallucinating. And I don’t think I actually heard it. It was more of a feeling. But I woke up from it so I assumed there was sound”

“Do you have those feelings often?”

“Yeah, sometimes. It’s called a gut feeling. That’s normal”

“I know” she said. She looked past him.

“Catch!” She said as she pulled the handle of the pan towards herself for where Rex had left it on the counter.

Fives turned around in a split second and caught the pan handle in mid-air.

“Impressive” Ahsoka said. “Most impressive”

“Ahsoka, what are you getting at?” Rex asked

“I have a suspicion” she said. “Do you have a datapad?”

“Yeah, but it’s GAR issue so you can’t use any communications” he said as he handed her his.

“Don’t worry, I won’t need it” she said as she opened text editor and typed a letter on it under the table “What did I type?”

“Forn” Fives said without thinking.

She deleted what she typed while Rex watched, and typed something else

“What did I type now?”

“Vev”

She typed a Besh this time.

“Besh”

“Fives, I think you’re force sensitive”

He laughed “Sure. No offence commander, but that’s impossible. My template wasn’t, so I can’t be force sensitive either”

“Well, I know my parents weren’t force sensitive, yet here I am” she argued

“Yeah, well it‘s probably a recessive thing”

“In that case, we’d be able to tell with a DNA test. But we can’t. Even a midichlorian count doesn’t prove anything, since there’s no exact minimum of midichlorians you need to be force sensitive. I just gave you a short version of the same test they gave me when I was three”

Fives looked at Rex, who shrugged

“I think she might actually be right. You do have extraordinarily fast reflexes” Rex said “I wouldn’t have been able to catch that pan handle”

“Just try to levitate it” she said.

“How?”

“Believe that you can and picture it in your head”

“Okay, I’ll try it” Fives said. He was getting curious now, and it couldn’t hurt to try.

He put the handle on the table and lifted his hand to levitate it. The handle started wobbling.

“Try to hold it steady with your mind while you lift it” Ahsoka said.

He tried to picture a the handle stabilising, and it stopped shaking. He felt a downwards force on it, pulling it towards the centre of the planet. Gravity. He actively tried to push against it, trying to lift the handle. It moved. He managed to lift it a little over a centimeter.

“I can’t believe I did that” he said, immediately dropping the handle

“I knew it” Ahsoka said, beaming at Rex

“Yeah, it does make a lot of sense actually” Rex said

“I’m... force sensitive...” he stuttered.

“Yeah, congratulations!” Ahsoka said “I’ll teach you some more after I’ve gone out to get groceries”

“Oh no, you’re not” Rex said “you’re staying here. I’ll go, I won’t let you risk yourself”

“Rex, you’re at risk as well. I can’t risk you getting caught” she argued.

“Guys, I’ll go” Fives offered “I’ll be fine”

“But I don’t want to stay in this dull apartment all day, and you need to practice levitation. Trust me, practice is important”

“But Ahsoka,” Rex argued but she cut him off “no, I’m going outside. I need to go outside anyway and this is the perfect chance to try out disguises”

“Fine” Rex said “But we’re gonna put a lot of effort in that disguise”

* * *

Ahsoka tried to navigate the maze that was Coruscant’s underbelly. She was dressed in several layers of clothing, her lekku were pulled back (Rex had tied them together by the tips with bandages, so they looked like one big lekku) and she had a helmet with the sides cut off on her head. Her face was hidden behind a visor, so no one could tell who she was. They couldn’t even tell her species. No one would recognise her unless they were familiar with her force signature.

She chuckled to herself. Rex and Fives were so overprotective. But she was glad they let her go outside. She needed this.

Just when she was getting close to where the grocery store most likely was, she felt something behind her. She turned around, only to be knocked to the ground by a bounty hunter. Two red blades crossed in front of her neck, trapping her to the ground as the bounty hunter revealed her face.

Ventress.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading


	24. The Capture

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ahsoka talks Ventress into helping her find the real culprit. Things don’t go well

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the next chapter :) sorry if it’s a bit shorter than usual, I’m tired and might be getting sick

“Well well... I didn’t believe it when I first heard it. But I guess it’s true. The senate has put a bounty on your horned little head. And I’m going to collect”

“Ventress! It was you, wasn’t it! You were behind all of this, and you framed me!” Ahsoka said. The fall had knocked her helmet and visor off.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about” Ventress said.

“Yes you do. So what are you now? A bounty hunter?”

“Yes. And someone who knows how to make easy money” Ventress said as she forced Ahsoka to get up. Ahsoka knew resisting would be futile. She was unarmed so instead, she used the force to reach out to Fives.

“Fives, I’ve been captured by Ventress. Don’t try to save me, she has both of her sabers so your blaster will be useless. Try to follow me to the bounty hunters guild so you can break me out from there” she told him, and she received a vague feeling of understanding from him.

* * *

“Something is wrong with Ahsoka” Fives said.

Rex closed the cupboard he’d been rummaging in to take inventory and looked at his brother.

“What makes you think that?”

“I don’t know. I think the force is telling me. But we shouldn’t interfere. We should just be on standby, in case she need us” Fives said as he wrapped his left arm in tinfoil before kitting up. Rex didn’t pay much attention to that, he had to grab the bottom half from the bedroom before putting on the top half that was still in the living room.

After he was done kitting up, he looked at Fives

“What kind of trouble is she in, and how do you know?”

“I felt it. In the force. It’s nothing lethal, she’ll be fine for now, but let’s move out”

“Alright. You should take the lead for once, since you seem to know what you’re doing”

Fives nodded and the moved out.

* * *

After a short search, Fives made a “I located the target” gesture to Rex. He peeked around the corner. Ahsoka was there, talking to Ventress. She didn’t seem to be in trouble, but Rex still wasn’t comfortable with this. Then, Ahsoka looked straight at them and waved them over. Rex looked at Fives.

“I feel no threat” Fives said, so the lowered their weapons and approached.

“These are Rex and Fives, two of my most loyal troopers”

“Hi” Fives said awkwardly.

“Ahsoka, what’s going on?” Rex asked “why is she here?”

“Ventress and I made a deal. She’ll help me catch the person who’s actually responsible for the bombing, since it’s most likely Dooku’s new apprentice”

“A pleasure to meet you, clone”

“My name is Rex”

“Yeah, you’re gonna have to use their names”

“Fine. And you’re Fives, right?”

“Yep. That’s me”

“So, what’s our next move?” Ventress asked.

“We should try to find intel. Usually the Jedi have plenty of that. But we have no way of just walking up to them now” Ahsoka said.

“I could ask Cody for a Jedi cloak. He has plenty of those, and I could sneak in and search the database”

“Why not send Ahsoka in? She knows the temple better than any of us” Fives asked.

Rex shook his head. “They’d easily recognise her by her height and montrals”

“Right, fair point”

“I could contact Barriss?” Ahsoka offered.

“Your goody-two shoes friend?” Fives asked.

“Yeah. The exposer” Rex grumbled

“What did she expose?” Ventress asked.

“Like we’d tell a seppie” Fives said.

“It wasn’t anything military related, and I don’t want to talk about it” Rex said.

“Well, she still owes me a favour for that.” Ahsoka said “And she has a strong sense of justice. She’ll want to find out what actually happened. We should ask her”

“I can get you to a pay comm” Ventress said.

“It’s worth a shot if we don’t get traced” Ahsoka said. “Let’s go”

* * *

“Ahsoka! What’s going on? Are you okay? Where are you now?” Barriss asked.

“It’s good to see you too. I’m fine, but I’m being framed. And I can’t tell you where I am now. I need your help”

“You should really turn yourself in, Ahsoka. You’re innocent, and they have no reason to lock you up. Go to trial. It’s the right thing to do”

“No, you don’t understand. Someone choked Letta Turmond with the force while I was in her cell. I have no other way to prove my innocence than to catch the real culprit. Can you please look through the Jedi’s database for any place we can start?”

“Alright. Give me a moment. Stay on the line if you can, since I can’t call you back. Call me back as soon as you can if you’re forced to leave” Barriss said before leaving the hologram.

“Are you sure she’s not gonna trace our location?” Ventress asked.

“She can’t. I’ve messed with the wiring, it has the location of the nearest hub now. Which is half a kilometre away, and they already knew our approximate location”

“Alright then. Let’s hope that this works out, so I can have my revenge”

“On who, if I may ask?” Rex asked.

“Dooku’s new apprentice”

“Ah, so he replaced you” Fives said.

“Yes. And unlike you, I’m not replaceable” Ventress snarled.

“Hey, watch it lady. We’re supposed to have a truce!” Rex said.

“Guys, please” Ahsoka said. “I want to catch this person, whoever they are. And I need you to work together”

“Working with a known separatist is kind of the opposite of what I’m supposed to do, but I’ll do it for you, my love” Rex said.

Ahsoka laughed at that.

“Please stop being sappy” Fives groaned.

“This is why we used droids.” Ventress said “I’ll cut him If he’s bothering you”

“No, it’s fine.“ Ahsoka said, blushing. Luckily, she was saved from this conversation Barriss returning

“Ahsoka, I found a warehouse full of nano droids that was probably linked to the bombing. I’ll send you the coordinates”

“Thank you so much”

“No problem. Are you sure I can’t pursue you into doing this the legal way?”

“Sorry Barriss, But I don’t think that’s gonna work out”

“Alright then. Good luck” She said as she cut the connection.

“Let’s go to the warehouse” Ahsoka said to the rest of the group.

* * *

“These are the boxes” Ahsoka said.

“Alright. Let’s fan out and look for evidence” Rex said.

Fives nodded and got to work. Ventress rolled her eyes and got to work. Ahsoka just continued looking for the label on the box when her comm beeped a distress signal. She looked at it. Rex!

She turned around and started running in the direction of the signal. It was close, only a few meters away. When she rounded the corner, a cloaked figure with a dark cape stood there.

“Who are you? What are you doing here?” She asked. The figure said nothing, she just raised a blaster and fired a stun bolt

Ahsoka jumped out of the way just in time. Fives and Rex showed up just in time.

“Drop your weapon” Fives ordered.

“No” the figure said with a distorted voice.

Fives just fired a stun bolt at her. The figure quickly pulled out a blue lightsaber and deflected the bolt easily toward Rex, who was caught off guard and immediately shot down. Then she shot again, at Fives this time. Fives dodged and ducked behind a crate of nano droids.

Ahsoka screamed internally. As clever as Fives was, he could be a real idiot at times. Hiding from blaster fire behind a crate of explosives. Luckily, their enemy noticed the error too and went back to trying to stun Ahsoka. It was most likely a another Jedi trying to capture her

Ahsoka dodged bolt after bolt, but the Jedi was closing in and Ahsoka was getting tired.

Then, Ventress swooped in to fight the Jedi. Red And blue blades clashed while Ahsoka stood by, unable to do anything. She hated being unarmed.

She ran back to where Fives was, but when she got there, she froze. The Wolfpack was there, along with Anakin, master Plo and the Coruscant guard. And they had Fives and Rex.

“Commander, run!” Fives said.

Before she could make a decision, Fox stunned her.

* * *

When she came to, she was in a gunship in binders. So were Rex, Fives, Ventress and Barriss.

“Barriss? What are you doing here?”

“I’m sorry Ahsoka. I thought that if I faked a distress signal from Commander Rex and stunned all of you, I could get you to stand trial and clear your name”

“Luckily, she failed to frame you like that and accidentally revealed that she was the real culprit” Anakin said.

“What? How?” Ahsoka asked in shock.

“She knew about the warehouse. We didn’t. She must’ve had something to do with this”

“Barriss, is this true?” Ahsoka asked.

“I want to remain silent on that, sorry. I’m not saying anything without a lawyer” Barriss said, but Ahsoka could feel her regret in the force.

“And thanks to you, we also caught Ventress”

“Please go easy on her, master. She was actually helping me”

“That’s an odd turn of events, but I’ll keep it in mind. But I have to make sure they’ll go easy on Rex and CT-5709 here”

“Who?” She asked.

“CT-5709. At least, that’s who he says he is. We can’t prove if that’s actually his number because the chip in his arm was broken, but I don’t see why he’d lie”

She just looked at her master in confusion until she saw Fives mouth “play along” to her.

“Ah yes. He has been a tremendous help and I’m sure he’ll fit in nicely with the 501st” she said.

“Besides, you’ll have an opening now since your commander is a deserter and a traitor” Fox said.

“What?” Ahsoka and Anakin said at the same time.

“What, did you think I’d let him get away with siding with a suspect over his own brothers?” Fox said “all three nats will have to stand trial, but we can put the commander down without a trial”

“I won’t allow that” Anakin said. “I’ll talk to the chancellor!”

“Suit yourself” Fox said “just know that it won’t look good on you to stand up for traitors like him”

Ahsoka just looked at Rex in horror. This was bad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading:)


	25. The Trial

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ahsoka stands trial for a crime she didn’t commit. Rex doesn’t stand trial at all

“Padawan Tano, you are hereby expelled from the Jedi order”

The words still echoed in her head, even though it had been hours. She still didn’t really know how this could’ve happened. They had to know she wasn’t behind the bombing, that’s why they had gotten her to do the investigation. But now, she was in a cell, awaiting trial. At least she’d get a trial. Rex wouldn’t be getting a trial at all, and might’ve been executed already. Part of her wanted to cry, but she couldn’t. None of it felt real.

She heard the cell door open. A clone walked in. “You have a visitor“ he said.

She just nodded at him, and he left the cell. Obi-wan walked in.

“Ahsoka, I’m terribly sorry.“

“He’s gone, isn’t he?“ She asked, dreading the answer.

“No, I meant I’m sorry for what the council said. Rex is fine. For now”

She released a breath she didn’t know she was holding “Thank the force”

“He’ll still be court-martialled, but after your trial”

“I hope he’s found innocent. He didn’t betray anyone. Anakin would’ve wanted him to protect me, he just didn’t have the time to tell him so”

“I know, that’s what we’re going to use as his defence. But yours should come first. Anakin has asked Senator Amidala to represent you, and she agreed”

“That’s great. I’m gonna need it. Though I doubt the Republic is going to help me when even the Jedi Order abandoned me”

"Ahsoka, you do realize that we didn’t abandon you, right?“

“Yeah right“ she scuffed “You know what they said, Obi-Wan”

“I know, but we only expelled you because the republic isn't allowed to try a Jedi. And if we tried you, the public might not consider it to be a fair trial. And we can’t afford that kind of controversy right now.”

“Well they should’ve said so!”

“I know. They were stressed” he sighed.

“That’s not an excuse“

“I know, but it’s an explanation“

She didn’t say anything. She was still upset with Obi-Wan, but more so with the entire Jedi Order.

“I know you might need some time, Ahsoka. But you need to work on your defence. Is it alright if I ask them to bring in Padmé?”

Ahsoka shrugged, but she knew he’d get the hint.

“Okay, I’ll send her over. May the force be with you”

* * *

“Ahsoka Tano. You have been charged with sedition against the Jedi Order and the Republic itself. This court will decide your fate. How do you plead?” The chancellor asked.

“Not guilty, your honour” she said.

“Ahsoka, let me handle this” Padmé told her “your honour, the defendant pleads not guilty”

Rex just sighed and fiddled with the sleeves of his dress uniform. He'd been taken out of his cell to be a witness at Ahsoka’s trial, but part of him wished he had just been executed when they had the chance. He only had a court martial in a month that would almost certainly end with him getting executed anyway, why were they bothering to keep him alive? To be used as evidence in Ahsoka’s trial? Just to suffer a month longer? Just to watch her get executed? He’d been mentally prepared to watch her die, but not like this.

He was taken out of his thoughts when he saw a familiar face. Tarkin.

“Former Padawan Tano, I shall prove that you were the mastermind behind the attack on the Jedi Temple. That once your accomplices carried out your orders, you eliminated them one-by-one. When you are found guilty, I ask the court that the full extent of the law be brought down upon you, including penalty of death!” The newly promoted admiral said.

Rex was beyond disgusted. He remembered Tarkin from the Citadel. Back then, he had still been a captain, but he had risen quickly through the ranks. Much faster than Rex could, he was a clone after all. He had had all the promotions he could’ve had by this point, even if he wasn’t sure if he had fully deserved the jump from Captain to marshal commander. After all, the General had promoted him for having a (at the time fake) relationship. He sighed. There were testimonies from Ventress, “CT-5709”, Commander Offee (who seemed shaky, he couldn’t blame her. He’d probably be nervous too if he wasn’t trained to withstand that kind of stress) and general Skywalker. The general was the worst to watch. He was emotional, and well he did give her a good alibi, most of his story was about how Ahsoka would never do such a thing. Not the best thing to say in court.

Then, it was his turn. He took the stand, and told the court everything that happened. The only things he didn’t tell, were that CT-5709 was actually Fives, and force sensitive, and what he had done with Ahsoka. He played it off as if he was her second in command, and nothing more.

After he was done giving his testimony, he went back to following the trail absent-mindedly. He had learned to disassociate himself from things he didn’t want to be a part of, this was one of them. He zoned out for a bit, but then he heard the chancellor say something that caught his attention

“It seems like former Padawan Tano’s guilt can’t be fully decided by facts. We have no proof that she did it, but she has been unable to prove her innocence. But what if that is exactly why we should convict her? Let’s take a moment to consider the possibility that she is a separatist spy. Would we really want to let her get away with this?”

Even though he wasn’t force sensitive, he could feel the anger radiating off of his General, who was sitting a few seats away. He got up, bent down so he wouldn’t cause too much of a disturbance and walked towards his General. He sat down beside him.

“General, are you okay?”

“No, I’m not. What happened to innocent until proven guilty? What’s gotten into him?”

“I know what he’s trying to do. He’s trying to provoke Ahsoka. They” -he pointed at the two Coruscant guards that were standing behind him- “warned me about that. They’ll taunt the accused with false accusations and they’ll see anger as an admission of guilt. I didn’t think they’d do it to nats too. Can you tell Ahsoka to remain calm?”

“Will do” he said before closing his eyes. Rex saw Ahsoka calm down.

“I still can’t believe the chancellor would stoop so low”

Rex gave his General a look that said “we both know he’s a Sith Lord, Sir”

Skywalker gave him a “I know, but still” look. Then, Rex heard him say “I didn’t think he’d try to piss me off openly. Fives told me he wanted me to fall to the dark side, so I assumed he’d be trying to keep my trust for as long as possible“ in his head. So the force thing worked on him too.

He just nodded, pretending to listen to the trial instead. The jury was still debating, so there wasn’t much to listen to.

* * *

It was time for the verdict. The chancellor took the stand. Ahsoka shuddered. She had a bad feeling about this.

“After careful consideration, the jury had decided that former padawan Tano-“

“I did it!”

The whole court looked in the direction of the voice. It was Barriss. Ahsoka couldn’t really believe it, but she spoke again.

“I provided the access codes to the hangar, and I changed the schedule. I also helped Letta get into the warehouse where we stole the nano-droids, and I helped plan the whole thing. I wanted it to happen with as little casualties as possible. I just wanted to blow the hangar doors out and make a statement. But Letta was in charge of the execution”

Two clones came up behind her.

“Ma’am, you can give us the the details during your interrogation. Right now, you’re under arrest”

“Right, I’ll come with you in a moment. I just want to tell the court that Ahsoka Tano was not involved in any way and was just at the wrong place at the wrong time”

“Are you coming with us peacefully?” The other clone asked.

“Yes, I will” she said, and the guards took her away while the whole court started arguing.

Ahsoka was just speechless. She would never have suspected Barriss. Barriss was always so kind. She cared about people, that’s why she became a healer. To heal her wounded men. She was compassionate, and she wanted nothing more than for this war to end. But that’s probably why she did it. To end the war. It had probably gotten to her. She just wanted to cry, but she couldn’t. She was still on trial.

“Order!” Palpatine yelled.

The courts fell quiet.

“Padawan Offee’s confession was... appreciated. But the verdict still stands. Former Padawan Tano is found guilty of sedition against the Jedi Order and the Republic itself”

This didn’t feel real. They knew she didn’t do it, why were they still going to execute her? She looked around. Rex was just staring at her, but she could feel his suffering through the force. Anakin had crushed the armrest with his metal hand, probably by accident, but he was holding in his anger remarkably well considering the situation.

“Objection!“ Padmé said “the jury should be given a chance to reconsider the verdict in light of this new information”

“Right. Thank you for reminding me, Senator Amidala” the chancellor said “the jury shall review their decision”

Ahsoka tried to remain calm, but it was nearly impossible. She reached out to the force, and it felt soothing. Like things were going to be alright. But she still felt a lot of uncertainty around Rex. She’d have to do something about that.

“Former padawan Tano, you are found not guilty “ the chancellor said. She released all the tension she hadn’t realized she was holding in her body, she was going to be fine. Now all that was left was saving Rex.

* * *

After the trial, Rex was taken outside, where he spotted General Skywalker as he was talking to Ahsoka.

“Just come quietly” Fox said “it’ll be painless”

“What will be?”

“Your execution”

“What? I thought it was in a month”

“That was before Commander Tano’s trial was over. Now, you have no reason to be kept alive. I’m sorry”

“I understand. Can I say goodbye to my General and Commander?”

“You know what? Alright. But only because you were such an honourable Commander before you committed treason”

“Thank you, Fox” he said. He knew there was no escaping it. In a weird way, he was at peace. He’d done everything that he had wanted to do. Well, almost everything. He wished he’d gotten the chance to spend one last night with Ahsoka. He wouldn’t be too nervous this time. But he’d made it to marshal commander, had a girlfriend, he’d taken care of his brothers as much as he could. He had lived a good life.

Fox gestured at them and they came over.

“Hey Rex, How are you holding up?” The General asked

“I’m fine, I came to say goodbye”

“I know, don’t worry. I’ll get you out of jail before your execution” the General said.

“Sir, his execution is this evening” Fox said “There’s nothing you can do”

“What! No!” Ahsoka screamed.

That scream was the only thing that upset him right now. He had accepted his own death for years. He knew he was going to die since he was pulled off his jar. But she’d miss him. She’d have to go on without him, and she hadn’t been prepared for that like his brothers were.

“Soka. It’s okay. You’ll be fine.” He said, trying to soothe her.

“No, it won’t be” She said as she wrapped her arms around his waist and cried into his dress uniform. He wanted to return the hug, but his hands were in binders behind his back.

“I’ll take them somewhere more private. I don’t want to make a scene” the General said. “Can you give me his blaster? I need something capable of stunning just in case”

“Alright sir, but you should take them somewhere they can’t escape” Fox said as he handed the General Rex’s blasters.

“Alright. I’ll ride them around in my speeder so they can’t jump out”

Fox nodded and gave a half-hearted salute.

Rex just tried to shove Ahsoka into the speeder. She wasn’t exactly protesting, but she wasn’t cooperating either. She was just trying to hold him as tightly as possible. He tried his best not to cry as well.

They sat down on the back seat, and the General took the wheel. Ahsoka just curled up to him and held onto him like she wasn’t planning on letting him go.

“Ahsoka, you can stop the act now” the General said.

“What? I’m not acting!”

“Well, you need to calm the kriff down if you want our plan to work”

Of course. The General would never have let him be executed.

“What?” She said, calming down a bit.

“Did you really think I’d let Rex get killed?”

“Yes! No... I’m sorry, the last few days have been confusing” she said.

“What did I tell you about not letting your feelings get in the way?”

“That’s just something Obi-Wan says, and he’s not my master”

Rex snorted at that. He finally felt a bit better.

“I did say that” the General said “but now it’s time to push your feelings down and get Rex out of here. Do you think you can pick the locks on his binders with the force?”

“Yes master” she said and he could feel the locks start to wiggle and heard a click.

“Rex, after your hands are free, I’m going to visit Senator Amidala. After I ring the doorbell, stun me and drive away. Take Ahsoka with you, make it look like you’re kidnapping her. Go somewhere where Fives can find you. Do you know a good place?”

“Yes sir. We’ll be at the apartment. Fives knows which one”

“Okay. Ahsoka, after some time has passed, say that you managed to kill him in self defence. We’ll mark him as deceased and that will get the police off his tail. We’ll come find you. I’ll bring Kix so he can remove Rex’s ident chips” the General said to Ahsoka.

“Got it” she said.

“Alright. Oh, and I’ll want my speeder back at that point. Senator Amidala’s house is over there. Are you guys ready?”

“Yes” she said.

“Yes sir” he said.

“Good. May the force be with you” he said as he put the speeder on the platform and walked to the door. Rex didn’t hesitate. He jumped over the passengers seat, into the drivers seat and grabbed his blasters. As soon as the General rang, he shot him with a stun bolt and drove off.

* * *

After what felt like way too long, Ahsoka followed Rex out of the speeder into the apartment. It was still empty. They ate a bit without saying a word. Neither of them knew what too say.

After dinner (ration bars) she took him to the bedroom. Once there, she started unbuttoning his shirt for him.

“Ahsoka, are you sure?”

“If you want to” she said. “I want to feel that you’re still alive, but we don’t have to go all the way”

“I want to” he said “I’m ready. Are you?”

“I think so” she said

“Alright. Let’s see where this goes” Rex said as he pulled her into a kiss”

Everything was alright again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading :)
> 
> This is where the M rated should be inserted. I’m gonna put it in a seperate fic so it’s easier to find if you just want to reread that part, and to keep the rating on this fic a T. I’ll put a link here once it’s finished, but it’ll take a while because I’m busy juggling two fics with weekly updates


	26. The Goodbye

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fives returns to the 501st and watches the trial with them. Afterwards, they decide to get Rex and Ahsoka some much needed supplies

Fives turned on the shower. He was about to be introduced to his “new” battalion, but General Skywalker had let him clean up first. He started taking off his armour, but he decided against it. The paint he had used to paint it brown was a low quality chalk based paint that wasn’t even originally brown, they had just thrown together several bright colours to make the nasty brown. And the one litre bottles had said that they were “removable with water”, so he should be able to wash it off. He stepped under the stream with his armour still on. It was nice to see the white and blue streaks start to appear.

He took the shower head off its stand and aimed the stream directly on his bucket. After he made it wet enough, he took it off and started scrubbing. While he scrubbed, he reflected on how he was arrested. He had given general Skywalker a fake number. Luckily, he had still had the tinfoil under his armour, which had prevented them from reading his actual. General Skywalker had pretended to believe him, of course. He wasn’t a snitch and had helped him fake his death after the whole incident with the chip. Of course he’d help him fake a new identity. But his brothers would never fall for it, especially not since they wouldn’t think he was above pretending to be a different clone. In fact, he had tried to pull that off during a prank once. Echo hadn’t been too happy with that.

He sighed as he let the warm water clean his armour. How would he explain this to Echo? His brothers had probably mourned him and moved on by now. And then he’d have to tell his only surviving batchmate that it had all been for nothing, and that he’d been a third rate bounty hunter for three whole months while he and his brothers were out risking their lives for the republic. He had been worse than Fox during that time, since that butt would at least hypothetically defend the senate if the separatists ever got close enough.

He had just stripped off his upper armour and upper blacks so he could start cleaning himself while his boots got cleaned as well, when he heard a knock on the door.

“Come in”

“Hello, I’m- Fives?!?!”

“Echo?!?!” Was all Fives could get out before his brother slammed into the shower wall and pulled him into a tight hug.

“I thought you were gone forever” he said, possibly crying (he couldn’t tell since they were both wet).

“I’m fine. I’m sorry for faking my own death”

“It’s okay. General Skywalker told me why you did it”

“He did? Who else did he tell?”

“Just me and both the commanders. He told us the day after”

“I’m so glad to hear that you knew. It broke my heart to leave, but I had to”

“I know”

Echo released Fives, but Fives pressed his forehead to Echo’s.

“Wait, where are the commanders?” Echo asked.

“Arrested for treason and sedition” fives said dryly.

Echo laughed. Fives didn’t.

“Wait, you can’t be serious” Echo said when he noticed Fives’ silence.

“I am. Commander Tano is being accused of bombing the Jedi temple, even though she didn’t do it. Rex is accused of treason for siding with a suspect instead of his brothers”

“Rex would never do that!”

“The suspect was Commander Tano and he was helping the Coruscant guard at the time”

“Okay that does sound like something Rex would do. But General Skywalker would get him out of trouble, right?”

“He’s trying, but he has to get Commander Tano out of trouble too. I hope he can save both of them”

“Okay. I hope this is going to end well. Is there anything we can do?”

“No, General Skywalker ordered us to remain in the barracks and stay out of trouble“

“OK. I’ll show you the order I got from him. It’s easier than explaining“ Echo said as he showed fives his datapad. On it there was a message.
    
    
    Echo,
    I’m sending a “new recruit” to the 501st. He should be in the showers, where I left him. Try to “introduce” him with as little drama as possible. His designation is definitely CT-5709, not something else. Also monitoring on the 501st has increased, just a heads up.
    - Skywalker
    

“I thought it was a weird message, but now I get it. Are you ready to see the others?”

“Not yet, I need to clean my armour, shave, get a hair cut, and make sure I’m good to go. I’ve been dying to feel like myself again”

“Understandable. I’ll help with your armour and your hair, but you have to do your beard yourself”

“Thank you, Echo”

“No problem, that’s what’s brothers are for. You can use my shaving stuff since I don’t think you’ll get your own in time, but make sure it’s cleaned afterwards”

“Thanks, I owe you one”

“Oh no, you owe me quite a bit more than that. It stacks, Vod”

Fives affectionately punched his brothers upper arm.

* * *

Returning to the 501st was weird. Echo had send out a mass text that said something cryptic about him. All their communication was stored by the GAR, and if he straight up explained what happened to Fives, the GAR could find out. They wouldn’t find out right away, they only checked if there was reason for suspicion.

So he just walked in like normal, ignoring the muttering from the clones he passed. He honestly didn’t know most of them very well. They all formed smaller groups that usually sat together anyway, so he sat down with Jesse, Tup, Kix and Echo and Stitches.

They all stared at him, except Echo.

“How are you still alive?” Stitches asked.

“I have no clue what you’re talking about” Fives said, grinning.

“Shut up, Fives, we know it’s you” Jesse said.

“Oh, you got me confused with ARC Trooper Fives. The guy who tried to kill the chancellor. Allegedly, of course. I’m... also called Fives. What a coincidence, am I right”

The sound of Echo’s facepalm was the only thing that could be heard in the silence that fell over the other clones.

“If I was the other Fives, I wouldn’t show up here. They’d execute him”

“Do you think he actually tried to kill the chancellor?” Stitches asked.

“Yeah” he confirmed.

“Why would you- I mean why would he do that?” Tup asked.

“I don’t know. I think the level of control he had over him got to his _head_ ” he said as he tapped the place where his inhibitor chip had been.

Most of the other clones nodded. Tup gave him a confused look.

“I think Fives -the ARC trooper I mean- got upset because of what was put in his head. The thing about following orders?” Jesse said.

Tup nodded. Fives sighed. He still felt tired.

“Well, I think we should throw you a welcome party. And we’re on leave. What do you say about hitting up 79’s?” Kix asked.

“I’d love to, but I can’t. I want to watch the trial tomorrow morning” Fives said.

“What trial?” Kix asked.

“They caught Commander Tano”

“They _what?_ ” Jesse said.

“We have to do something! Where is Commander Rex?” Tup asked.

“Accused of treason, the General is trying to get him acquitted as well”

“What? He’d never do that!” Kix said.

“He did though” Echo said “he followed Commander Tano to protect her instead of arresting her, like Fox ordered. That counts as treason”

“That’s... a lot to take in” Jesse said.

“So what do we do now?” Stitches asked.

“We stay in the barracks and don’t cause any trouble. That’s what General Skywalker ordered us to do”

“Okay. Then we’ll do that” Stitches said.

“We’ll all watch the trial together tomorrow” Echo promised.

* * *

“Former padawan Tano, you are found not guilty “ the chancellor said.

The 501st erupted in cheers. Fives hugged his closest brothers (in terms of proximity, Echo and Tup were on the other side of the room so Kix and a shiny he didn’t know had to endure the death grip he had on them). Hardcase pulled out a crate of contraband booze.

After they had partied for a few hours, the General showed up with a nasty bruise on his head, and no Commander. He was being supported by Senator Amidala.

They fell quiet.

“What happened?” Hardcase asked.

“Officially? Rex turned on me after I allowed him to to say goodbye to Ahsoka. He stunned me while I was knocking on Senator Amidala’s door and had my back turned. I hit my head on the door. And then he kidnapped my padawan. I definitely didn’t tell him to to that”

“Let me see your head” Kix said, and Jesse and Hardcase followed him to take their General from the Senator and took him to the medbay.

She didn’t follow him, but instead walked over to Fives.

“You’re Fives, right?”

“Yes ma’am” he said.

“I’m sorry, it’s difficult to tell you guys apart. I don’t see you nearly as often as I’d like”

“That’s okay, Senator. We appreciate that you try”

“Of course. We need to talk. Can you come with me?”

“Yes sir” he said as he followed her outside.

Once they were out of reach of the barracks camera’s, she turned around.

“Do you know where the apartment is?”

“The apartment? What do you mean, Senator?”

“Anakin told me that Rex said he’d be at the apartment with Ahsoka, and that you’d know where that is”

“Oh, that apartment. Yeah, I know where to find it. Is it alright if I collect some stuff I want to take there?”

“Of course, we have to wait for General Skywalker to get out of the medbay anyway”

“Great. Thank you for the info, Senator” Fives said before saluting her and walking off to get Rex's stuff.

* * *

When General Skywalker came back, they were almost done packing. Rex’s armour was taken out of the storage unit it was put in until it could be recycled, and put inside a duffel bag, along with rations, a kit of field equipment and some other stuff.

“Do we have everything?” Jesse asked.

“Not yet” Kix said as he threw a box of condoms in the bag.

“Now we do”

“Thank you for reminding me of that” General Skywalker said.

“What? We’re not ready to be uncles” Jesse said.

“You’re making it worse” the General said.

“Yeah, besides, we’re sterile” Stitches said.

“Well, just in case.” Kix said.

“I don’t want to talk about that anymore. Can we go?” He asked Fives.

“Yes, General” he said and he grabbed the heavy bag and walked back outside, where he put it in the back of the speeder.

He got in at the back seat. General Skywalker took the drivers seat. Kix got in next to him and they drove off.

After driving for a few minutes, Fives decided now was the best time to tell them about his new powers.

“There is something I need to discuss if that’s okay with you, General”

“What is it, Fives?”

“Commander Tano thinks I’m force sensitive”

“Okay, That’s unexpected. Why does she think that?”

Fives just grabbed an umbrella from the speeder door “because I can do this” He said as he levitated the umbrella to the front of the speeder. Kix just looked at him with a shocked expression.

“Woah, that’s definitely proof enough. Why didn’t you tell us earlier?” He asked.

“Honestly, I didn’t know. And I don’t want the GAR to know”

“Why not?”

“I know the Kaminoans will want to know how I got my powers and I don’t want to end up on the dissection table”

“Fair point.” The General said “Do you mind if I ask Ahsoka to train you once she comes back? It’ll be good practice for when she gets her own padawan”

“Of course not, I wanted to ask if I could learn” He said.

“Good. I’ll teach you a couple of things as well. Oh, we’re at the coordinates you gave us”

“Right. Follow me” he said as he got out and walked up to the door.

When he rang the bell, Rex opened the door, wearing the pants and shirt that were part of the uniform he left in.

“It’s so good to see all of you again. Come in” Rex said when he spotted them.

Ahsoka popped up behind him.

“So, did Skyguy get my message?”

“I did” the General said “while I was in the medbay. I got Kix with me, he said he’d remove the chips for you”

“That’s great. Do you want my help?” She said.

“Sir, I’m not a shiny”

“I know. But I can close the incisions without suture thread and scarring”

“Right, that might be a better idea. Just promise me you won’t faint or anything”

“Of course not” she said as she followed him and Rex to the bathroom.

This left him alone with General Skywalker.

“So... do you know how to throw things with the force?”

“No sir”

“Do you want to learn?”

“Yes sir” he said.

* * *

Ahsoka focused on the cut on Rex’s neck and watched as the skin slowly sealed itself

Kix watched as well. She’d gotten better at force healing, but she still couldn’t do it without feedback from her patient. Rex wasn’t going to give her any though, the local anesthesia prevented him from feeling any screw up on her part.

“I think that’s enough” Kix said.

“Thanks guys” Rex said “I really appreciate that you helped me escape that death sentence and for helping to keep my identity a secret”

“Of course” Kix said “Though I’m gonna miss you, Commander”

“I know. You can visit us any time though”

“Us?”

“I’m leaving too” Ahsoka said.

“What, why?”

“The Jedi order tried to throw me under the AT-TE just to save their public perception”

“I understand. Have you told the General?”

“I’m about to. Wish me luck”

“Good luck Commander. You’re gonna need it”

* * *

When she entered the living room, he wasn’t there. But she sensed him on the balcony.

“Anakin, we need to talk” she said as Fives threw an empty can back into the alley.

“Fives, can you keep Rex company? He’s in the bathroom with Kix” she said to the ARC.

“Of course” he said and he left her alone with Anakin.

“What’s wrong snips?”

“I don’t want to come back to the Jedi order”

“What? Why?”

“They didn’t support me when I needed them, and chose their public perception over my life. I don’t think I can trust them again after that”

“I understand. But what about me? I stood by your side”

“I know, and we can still be friends. I’ll be right here if you need me”

“But what about the men? Can you at least come back to the GAR?”

“I don’t think I can do that without my status as a Jedi padawan”

“Maybe, I don’t know. I can look into it for you”

“Okay, thanks. I’ll consider that. But I can’t come back to the Jedi. Besides, I have an attachment now” she said as she looked to where she could feel Rex’s signature through the wall

“I understand. I’ve thought about leaving too to be honest”

“I know”

“I’ll miss you”

“I know. Please don’t forget that you can always contact us”

“Of course” he said.

She sighed in relief. He’d taken it much better than she thought he would. He seemed to understand. And she’d be safe here, with Rex.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading
> 
> And yes, Padmé found Anakin unconsious on her doorstep and just rolled with it. She’s used to his BS by now


	27. The Switch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anakin starts his plan to get proof of the chancellors misdeeds

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys. Sorry that this is a short one. I have a lot of drama irl going on. I split it in half

It was late, and Anakin stood in front of the chancellor’s office. The chancellor had requested to speak with him regarding Ahsoka’s trial, but honestly he didn’t want to talk to the man. He knew it’d be hard to keep his anger under control. The chancellor had straight up tried to convict his former padawan of a crime she didn’t commit and had even tried to sway the court against her for no reason. And it had only been yesterday.

And not just that, he had also implanted all the clones with chips that could strip them of their personality and he fully intended to just throw them away like garbage after the clone wars were over. And he couldn’t do anything about it, not unless he had solid proof.

Luckily, he had a plan. Not a very solid one, but it was a start at least. He’d started wearing regular Jedi robes again, and he had the inner pockets stuffed with all the evidence gathering stuff he could think off: data stick, a handheld high definition hologram recorder, a tracker so he could store his location... he also had his robes outfitted with a recording device that he could control wirelessly with his prosthetic hand. He hadn’t been lucky yet, but he hoped he would be soon.

“Anakin, it’s so good to see you again” the chancellor said.

“It’s good to see you too, chancellor”

“Come, have a seat”

“Thank you” Anakin said, careful to keep his composure

“I understand that you’re upset” the chancellor said. Anakin wasn’t sure if the Sith was reading his force signature or just guessing, but he was going to play dumb.

“How did you know?”

“My dear boy, anyone would be upset after what happened. After how the Jedi abandoned your Padawan. We’re lucky it all turned out alright”

Anakin was fuming. The Jedi order might’ve been wrong, but at least they had a reason that he could understand. Not that that made it any better, but it was nothing compared to what Palpatine had tried. Still, he had to play it cool

“She still left though” he said, sighing.

“I’m so sorry to learn that” Palpatine said, with admittedly good fake sympathy. He’d have fallen for it if he didn’t know. This was getting ridiculous.

“Maybe it’s the right thing for her” he tried.

“I suppose it is. Have you ever thought about leaving the order?”

He had. He had so many times. And what had happened to Ahsoka was almost enough to make his decision, but now that the Sith was asking him he remembered why he had to still. He had a prophecy to fulfil.

“No, I haven’t.” He lied. “Maybe I should consider it”

“Yes... Good” the Sith said

He could feel the anger rising again. It was getting harder to control.

“You have a right to feel angry, no matter what the Jedi tell you“

He wanted to give in to his anger so badly and just try to kill the Sith, but he had to resist. He grabbed onto something in the wall to steady himself mentally.

Then, everything became dark. The lights had gone out. Anakin released his force grasp on the wiring he had pulled out of the wall without thinking.

“I’m so sorry, I’ll fix it right away” he said

“Oh no, don’t worry about it. I know that these things happen when you’re upset. Have you ever thought to use your anger for good?”

There it was. He was trying to tempt him with the dark side. He just got up and walked over to the hole in the wall. He had pulled out a cable and a wall panel.

“I haven't. The Jedi always warned me about that”

“It’s such a shame. You have so much potential, and the Jedi don’t let you use all of it”

“I know” he muttered absent-mindedly as he tried to focus on repairing the wiring. Luckily he had only pulled a connector out, so there was no risk of electrocution. He was about to stick the cable back in when he noticed a communication wire. Bingo.

He immediately cut the wire. It was live, but communication cables didn’t have a lot of power going through them. He’d be fine. He looked through his inner pockets with the force. He had a small network switch and some resistors. And he had new plugs for the communication cable. He quickly inserted the switch and hooked it’s power supply up to the power hub. He then plugged in the main power cable and put the wall panel back in. The lights came on again.

“You didn’t have to do that, my boy”

“I know, but fixing things helps me calm down. Thank you”

“You’re welcome, my boy. Are you sure you’re okay now?”

“Kinda. I’ll talk to the Jedi about what happened with Ahsoka. Hopefully we can make it up to her”

“I hope so too. You should definitely do that. Tell me how it went”

“Yeah, I will. I think I’ll go straight to them” he said. He had to get out of there as soon as possible. He wasn’t angry anymore. He had managed to put a switch in the chancellors office. He could turn it into a proxy when he got home, and then use it to wiretap him. And the chancellor was none the wiser, he had monitored his force signature.

“Don’t let me hold you up” the chancellor said, smiling. The man clearly assumed Anakin as going to talk to the council about this, and that the council was going to disappoint him. But he wasn’t going there. He was going home, and he was building his proxy.

* * *

He sighed. It was done.

He had logged into the switch and set up a proxy server on it. It intercepted all communication and altered all the messages, adding him in the bcc. Then, as soon as something suspicious came up, he could blame a technical failure for giving him the wrong message and he could have the chancellor investigated.

Now all he had to do was wait.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading :)


	28. The Arrest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The chancellor is arrested

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, it’s gonna be another short one. I have a bit of bad news as well: I’m going on hiatus for the rest of the year. It’s gonna be a busy Christmas and New Year’s and the next chapter is going to be too complicated to rush. Luckily, there’s only ten days left this year and I’ll be back with a new update in two weeks hopefully :)

Anakin burst into the Jedi council chamber. He finally had the evidence against the chancellor.

“The chancellor accidentally sent me a message intended for Count Dooku!”

The room fell silent.

“ _Count Dooku?_ ” Obi-Wan asked.

“Are you sure?” Mace Windu asked.

“Yes, here it is. He sent all our plans to the separatists”

“That’s a big accusation to make” Windu said as Obi-Wan read the message.

“But it seems to check out” Obi-Wan said.

“Let me see that”

Obi-Wan handed Windu the data pad.

“Well, that is convincing”

“Take action immediately, we must” Yoda said.

“Yes, we should” Obi-Wan said “Anakin, thank you for gathering this evidence. We will discuss what to do right away, please wait outside”

“Of course” he said.

Once outside, he gave a sigh of relief.

A few moments later however, Obi-Wan emerged from the council chamber.

“Anakin, How did you get this information?”

“It was sent to me by accident”

“Really?”

“Yes, really.”

“Anakin, this information is really important. We cannot afford to have the evidence thrown out for being obtained illegally”

Anakin looked at Obi-Wan.

“Are you seriously trying to keep me out of trouble?” He send through the force bond.

“Yes, Anakin.” Obi-Wan send back “The council doesn’t approve of whatever you might’ve done to obtain that, but we can’t afford to let that get in the way of ending the clone war. We need to make sure that this goes well, at any cost. Please, tell me if there’s anything we need to know”

Anakin considered it. What he had done was illegal, and he could get in trouble over it. And not just a little too, he had meddled in the Republic’s most important communications. But even if he did get in trouble for it, it would be worth it.

“Yes master. I put a switch in his office that acted as a man in the middle and altered all his messages to send a blind copy to me” he sent through the bond.

“Thank you, Anakin. We’ll look through his office during the investigation, and skip the switches. You won’t be in trouble”

“Thank you, master” he said through the bond.

“And Anakin?”

“Yes master?”

“Don’t do something that impulsive again”

“Of course, master”

* * *

This was it.

Anakin was standing in front of the chancellor’s office, light saber in hand. Behind him was a large portion of Jedi council. Not everyone was there, but Obi-Wan, Mace Windu, Shaak Ti, Kit Fisto, Agen Kolar, Saesee Tiin, Ki-Adi Mundi and Master Yoda were.

He knocked on the door.

The chancellor opened the door.

“Anakin, my boy! What brings you- why are the other Jedi here?”

“Chancellor, you’re under arrest”

“What? Why?”

“We have reason to suspect that you’ve been conspiring with the separatists” Mace Windu said “come quietly, and we’ll make sure that you’ll get a fair investigation and a fair trial. If you are innocent, you have nothing to fear”

The chancellor looked around at the group, sizing them up. He seemed to decide that there were too many Jedi to fight.

“Fine, I’ll come” he said.

* * *

The next few days were a blur. The investigation kept turning up all sorts of info, including how Palpatine had been behind the bombing of the Jedi temple, the creation of the clone army, the whole war... it was a lot to take in and Anakin just went through the motions, letting the light guide him

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading :)


	29. The Return

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The 501st is falling apart, and Anakin has to ask Ahsoka and Rex for help

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey guys, I'm back. I decided to rewrite the outline. This chapter had way too much stuff going on, so i split it and now it's gonna be four chapters but I added more content. The stuff i was worried about doing will now be chapter 33. I should probably stop putting too much in one chapter in the outline

Anakin had finally gotten time to process all the information that was pouring out of the investigation, but he still needed to put everything together well. He'd heard that writing things down could help. So he opened up his datapad.
    
    
    Skywalker@GARterminal:~$ _
    

He stared at the blinking prompt. He took a deep breath, and focused.
    
    
    Skywalker@GARterminal:~$ nano Documents/Personal/Palpsrant
    

He had to write it all down. Get it all out. He started typing.
    
    
    Palpatine staged the entire clone wars.
    
    Dooku is just a puppet.
    
    Dooku and Tyranus are the same person.
    
    Tyranus hired Jango Fett as the template for the clone army.
    
    Tyranus ordered the inhibitor chips to be implanted.
    
    Fives discovered the chips.
    
    Palpatine had tried to get Fives to attempt to kill him and then he fled.
    
    He told Fives everything but made sure Fives was drugged at the time.
    
    Palpatine wanted to make the clones execute the Jedi.
    
    The clones would have succeeded, since we wouldn't see it coming.
    
    It almost happened.
    

It started to work. He was starting to feel better. He should probably keep going.
    
    
    He manipulated the senate for years, causing the core world's to benefit from the Republic while the Outer Rim was left to rot.
    
    He let pirates, slavers, the Hutts and other scum rule the Outer Rim, which eventually led to those systems seceding from a Republic that did nothing to help them.
    
    He created the separatists. He created the clones. He created the battle droids. he forced the Jedi into it, and compromised their role as peace keepers.
    
    He bombed the Jedi temple too. He was the missing accomplice: Bradtal Bettsell. He had convinced both Letta Turmond and Barriss Offee to carry out the attack.
    
    He had also killed Letta. He had been the one to choke her. He must have been. He and Ahsoka were the only force sensitives in that building, and he had the motive.
    
    But he had been caught. He had been stopped. It would be okay.
    
    This information was going to be used in Barriss' trial. She wouldn't get the unfair trial Ahsoka had had.
    
    Things would be okay.
    

He sighed. It would be alright.

He should call Ahsoka.

* * *

Ahsoka woke up alone in the bed. She heard Rex in the kitchen though. She stretched, before getting up and walking to the kitchen.

"Good morning cyare" she said.

"Good morning. I'm making breakfast" he said, standing in the kitchen, wearing only the lower half of his blacks.

"I can see that. Thanks" she said, looking at the burger patty Rex was making while his oatmeal was in the microwave.

He pulled her close and kissed her deeply. They had lived together for a few days now, blocking out all news of the clone wars and just focussing on getting to know each other better.

Of course, fighting side by side had already given them a close bond. SO most of the "getting to know each other better" involved either doing mundane stuff together or getting to know each other physically.

She deepened the kiss even more and relaxed into his hold. She slid her hands across his bare chest, down to his waist.

And then the microwave beeped. Rex broke the kiss and got his oatmeal from the microwave. She pouted at him.

"What? I'm hungry"

She just stared at him, pretending to be indignant.

"Nope. Breakfast first. Fun later." He said as he put her burger on a plate and sat down at the table.

She moved her plate next to his bowl and just sat on his lap sideways.

"Tease" he said as he he grabbed his bowl and started eating. Ahsoka did the same with her burger patty.

After they both finished eating, Rex ran his hand up her stomach, and she turned to him, kissing him again.

Then, her comm went off. She broke the kiss and grabbed her commlink from the table.

"It's Anakin, get dressed. This might be important"

Rex lifted her up and put her on the table. She smiled at him and he walked off to find the rest of his blacks (she honestly didn't remember where they had left them last night)

Then, she answered the comm. A small hologram of Anakin sitting at his desk appeared.

"Hey Ahsoka. I assume you have heard the news?"

"Actually, no. Rex and I decided to stay off the holonet and just focus on each other for a few days first. Did anything bad happen?"

Anakin let out a dry laugh "The chancellor is being put on trial for treason against the republic, illegally creating the clone army and a whole lot of other things. It's chaos"

"What?" she said.

"Yeah, I know. And I need to ask you a favour"

"What is it? I don't want to come back to the Jedi Order"

"I know, and that's not what I'm asking. I'm asking both of you to come back to the 501st. They're without a leader now that I'm too busy with this whole trial thing, and the GAR is considering disbanding the 501st if they don't have a commander with in the week. I can't get a suitable commander by that time. Jesse doesn't want the position, Appo isn't ready either, and while I can technically order a shiny CC clone to take up the position, they'll probably be a rule freak and get a nervous breakdown from dealing with the 501st. And Obi-Wan won't let us borrow Cody. Please, Ahsoka. You're our only hope"

Ahsoka sighed. "I wish I could, but I don't want to leave Rex"

"I'm asking both of you back"

"Anakin, you remember that Rex is wanted for attacking you?"

Anakin remained silent for a few seconds.

"If you can clear his name, we'd be happy to join up" she offered.

"I can't do that. But we can pretend like he's a nat that just looks like a clone, and then sign him up in the same way we're signing you up. You'll also both be getting paid."

"You've got a deal as far as I'm concerned, but I have to talk with Rex about it. We both have to agree."

"Yes, of course. The only downside is that you no longer outrank him."

"That's hardly a downside, I don't want to outrank him."

"That's fair. Feel free to drop by the barracks whenever you feel like it. I'll swear you two in whenever I have time. I have to go now. Trial stuff. Talk to you later"

"Thanks, bye" she said as Rex walked back in, wearing his full blacks.

"How did my shirt get behind the cupboard?"

"We must've been too enthusiastic. But I just finished talking to Skyguy. He kind of needs us back because everything went to hell and the chancellor apparently caused the whole clone wars. Long story short: we need to babysit the 501st and we're getting paid"

"Neat, I'm in"

* * *

Fives closed the data pad and went into the mess hall.

"Well guys, we're going to get to new commanders. Nats"

"Ah no, not nats. They're not gonna tolerate our behaviour" Hardcase said.

"Maybe not yours, but that's on you" Tup said.

"Like they'd tolerate your hair"

"Guys, it's better than being separated into different battalions" Jesse offered.

"Yeah. I've just gotten back. I don't want to see this battalion break up now"

"Don't worry, it won't" Rex said.

"Oh it will, now that you and Commander Tan- Rex!?"

"Hi Fives. I'm back."

"Rex! Ahsoka! Are you sure it's safe here?"

"Yeah," Ahsoka said "Rex and I are the new commanders"

"How?" Jesse asked.

"Let's just say, General Skywalker is gonna do some magic with the paperwork" Rex said "I signed up as a nat, which is objectively better."

"No, It's not" Hardcase said.

"I'm getting paid"

Someone let out a low whistle at that.

"We're glad to have both of you back, sirs" Fives said as he saluted them. The rest of the clones in the barracks followed his example.

Everything was going to be okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading :) Computer stuff is based on Linux (Ubuntu specifically)
> 
> edit: forgot to add, I wrote the first part of the NSFW spin off I promised in the summary.


	30. The Senate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anakin sits in on the senate hearing and Palpatine makes one last effort to turn him to the dark side

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a bit rushed because of a surprise Essay I was forced to prioritize, sorry that it's short

Anakin sat on the hard seat in court. Watching the chancellor's trial was... hard to say the least. Luckily, he didn't have to do much. He was only a witness and had already testified, and today's hearing was almost over.

Now, he was basically trying to hold his anger in as best as he could. It was hard, and he was sure the Sith could feel it. He wasn't even listening to the court proceedings if he was honest. He was already barely holding in his anger. He had been so close to listening to Palpatine. He had trusted the man. He had fought a war for him. The clones, his men, had died for him.

"Does the defendant have anything to say before we end today's hearing?" Senator Organa, the stand in for the chancellor, asked.

"Yes, I do. I would like to remind everyone that the Jedi, and specifically Generals Skywalker and Kenobi, caused this war."

Anakin looked up.

"The Jedi were the ones who ordered the production of the clone army, and thanks to Skywalker and Kenobi's stunt on Geonosis, the clone army was revealed too early. If they had never meddled in the Geonosioans affairs, this war would never have broken out. However, espacially General Skywalker was useful. Because even after he and Kenobi started this war, Skywalker did not give up on it. He led his troops with a passion no other Jedi had. He fought with everything he had, no sacrifice was too great for..."

Anakin could no longer hear it. Everything went dark.

* * *

Ahsoka sat between the clones. They had all made "couches" from crates and now they were watching the trial. She had decided to sit on Rex's lap instead though, to get some cuddling in. However, the rest of Torrent had missed her and some of the clones she was particularly close to had cuddled up to her as well. She appreciated the gesture, but they were heavy and armoured. And she was covered in as many clones as humanly possible. Both she and Rex were covered in them, but at least they could poke their heads out to watch the trial.

The trial was hard to watch, but she had her men with her. They helped her calm down. She could tell that they were happy that she and Rex were back, and that the war was apparently coming to an end.

Then, the Sith was allowed to say one last thing before the hearing was over. Ahsoka and her men were shocked when Palpatine started blaming Anakin and Obi-Wan for the clone wars and she could feel Anakin go mad through their bond, and then it snapped.

The Anakin in the hologram was still there, but he was different somehow.

"You! How dare you?" she heard him say as he got up and started climbing down the senate pods.

"Good... Good... Use your anger, Anakin"

The pod Palpatine was in fell down, landing in front of Anakin.

"Do you really think that you're strong enough to kill me?" the Sith asked.

Anakin (if it really was him, he didn't feel like Anakin) raised his hand in a choking gesture, but before he could even fully raise it, he was struck by an explosion of lightning that threw her master a few rows back. Then, the broadcast cut off and all the barracks went silent for a few seconds.

Then, chaos erupted in the barracks.

"What happened?"

"Is the General okay?"

"Was that the dark side?"

"Everybody stay calm" Rex ordered.

They somehow listened.

"Whatever happened, the General might need us. We should kit up and move to the Senate building immediately"

He was answered with a "Yes Sir" from the 501st before they started gathering their stuff.

"Ahsoka, can you still feel him in the force?" Rex asked

"No, but he disappeared when he got up. He was clearly around after that. I don't know what's happening"

"It could be latency?" He offered.

She shuddered. If it was, it would mean she was already too late.

"No, it can't be. This broadcast is coming from the same planet. You can see the Senate building from the roof."

"That's a fair point. We should hurry"

* * *

Anakin woke up in some kind of medical facility. He didn't remember how he ended up here at all.

"Ani? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine" he said, mostly out of habit. "What happened?"

"The chancellor went berserk during his trial. He knocked you out after you tried to stop him. You got hit with some kind of lightning" she said.

He could see the tears forming in her eyes.

And then it hit him.

This was why he had to control his anger. He could hurt the ones he loved a lot more than the separatists ever could.

"It's okay Angel. I'm here" he said as he kissed her tears away.

"Very subtle, Anakin" Obi-Wan said. Anakin froze. He really should've looked around the room. Obi-Wan, Ahsoka and Rex were sitting in the other side of his bed. The last two were visibly holding back laughter.

"Master, It's not-"

"Don't worry Anakin. Whatever that was, it's not our main concern now. What happened during the senate hearing was deeply troubling. Do you remember anything?"

"No master. Just that he blamed us for the clone wars. Then, everything went dark."

"You fought the chancellor, Anakin. And he tried to destroy the senate. Seven Senators died when he brought the pods down, and there are over 50 injuries. You managed to knock him out and the Coruscant guard got some force block binders on him. And then you fainted after you saw Senator Amidala's leg"

"Your leg? what happened?" He asked Padmé.

"I fell out of my pod and got a nasty cut and a sprained ankle. I'll be fine though" she assured him.

He sighed with relief. That could have been way worse.

"The Senate has decided that he is too dangerous to be kept alive." Obi-Wan said "He should be executed tomorrow. The 501st was chosen to be the battalion to do it, since they came to our aid."

"What? Are there any casualties?" Anakin asked, dreading the answer as usual.

"No Sir" Rex said "We arrived late and ended up helping clear the rubble and helping the wounded. There were some Coruscant Guard casualties though"

"Okay. That's a relief. Can I go back to sleep now? This is a lot to take in."

"Of course, Anakin" Ahsoka said. "Rex and I will take care of the rest for today. We're glad to have you back though"

"Back?"

"You disappeared from the force for a while, so we were scared. From when Palpatine blamed you for the war till you woke up just now. It's was scary"

"That's the same time frame I don't remember. I'm sorry Snips, I don't know what happened"

"It's okay, we understand" she said

He nodded and they all said goodbye. Hopefully, He'd feel better after he slept for a few hours.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading


	31. The Execution

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Palpatine is executed for his crimes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... his is finally happening. Enjoy!

Anakin took a deep breath before ringing the barracks doorbell. He had to deliver the news to the men. They would be the ones to execute the Sith.

Jesse opened the door. "General Skywalker?"

"Hi Jesse, I have something to discuss with the men"

"Of course. Come in" Jesse said as he opened the door further and sent out a level 1 Jedi alarm to the men. Anakin didn't know what the alarm was for, but he was told to take being a level 1 as a compliment.

"How's everyone holding up?" Anakin asked. He hadn't seen them in some time.

"Everyone is fine. Kinda."

"What do you mean _kinda_?"

"Sir, can I be blunt?"

"Of course, you don't have to ask"

"The "new" commanders you hired spend most of their time in their office, and none of us want to disturb them. So we've been without supervision and things got... out of hand" Jesse said before opening the barracks main hall.

It was a bit of a mess, but nothing too bad. Just a bunch of food wrappings scattered around.

"How did this happen?" Anakin asked.

"Hardcase broke the cleaning droid and refused to repair it or take over it's duties. Everyone else refuses to do what they consider his job. So yeah..." Jesse said.

"Alright then. I'll call Rex and Ahsoka about it." He said, already grabbing his comm.

"They know sir, they don't care" Jesse said.

They picked up the comm. "Rex, Ahsoka, come meet me in the main hall. Now"

"Yes sir" Rex's voice said from the comm.

Anakin broke the connection and sighed. "What are they doing in their office anyway?"

"We don't want to know, so we never bother them" Jesse admitted.

"Right." Anakin said, trying not to think too much about that implication.

They stood in silence for a few minutes until Rex and Ahsoka showed up. Ahsoka in her usual clothes, Rex in his blacks with a red flannel shirt on top of them. Anakin decided not to question that outfit.

"What is it, Sir?" Rex asked.

"What's the meaning of this?" Anakin asked, gesturing at everything.

"I am trying to make them more independent, sir" Rex said "I really struggled with not having a Commanding Officer when I was out of the army"

"You had Ahsoka"

"I refused to take that role for moral reasons" Ahsoka argued "And it's better if they mess up here than out in the real world."

"The war isn't over yet" Anakin reminded them.

"But, we caught the Sith."

"I know, Ahsoka. That leaves the Republic with a power vacuum. We can't assume it's over now, but things will definitely change. Especially after the execution."

"When is the execution?" Rex asked.

"Tomorrow. He's too dangerous to be left alive. The Senate picked the 501st. Gather a firing squad"

"Yes Sir. Are you sure you don't want to do it yourself?"

"No. It's a Sith tradition that apprentices kill their master to take their place, and he tried to make me his apprentice. I don't feel right about fulfilling part of the rule of two"

"Understandable, sir. We'll put together a squad"

"Thank you, Rex. Oh and I'll take the cleaning droid. I need something to fix as a distraction"

"Alright, sure" Ahsoka said.

* * *

Rex looked over the list of his men while Ahsoka looked at the plans for tomorrow's execution.

"We definitely have to include Fives" Rex said.

"Yeah, he should go in the middle too. Since he already tried to kill him"

"Yeah, definitely. Who do you think should lead the squad?"

"I assumed you wanted to do it"

"Actually, I prefer to be part of the squad" Rex admitted.

"That's fair. I'll lead the squad then" Ahsoka said. "But I'm nervous, so I'll put you at my side"

"I wouldn't have it any other way." Rex said as he looked at the list again. "We should put Kix in there as well. We need a medic to check if he's actually dead"

"Yes, of course. We should ask Jesse too, he'd be good moral support for Kix"

"Yes. And maybe Echo for moral support for Fives"

"Sounds like a good idea. I'll comm them" She said as she send them a message.

"Yeah" Rex said as he leaned back, arms behind his head.

"What are you thinking about?" She asked.

"About how the war is ending soon"

"Do you have any plans for after the war?"

"I don't know. I never really thought about it. I hope they'll let us live our own lives. I'd love to spend the rest of my life with you"

"Aaaawww... I love you" she said as she climbed in his lap and kissed him.

He kissed her back, running his hands over her lekku. They were soft in his hands. He knew that that was a good sign. Relaxed, soft lekku meant that she was relaxed as well. He often dealt with soft, squirming lekku too, which meant that she was excited. If they felt tense, she was tense too.

Just as he started massaging them, he felt them tense up in his hands and she broke the kiss.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

Just then, Kix, Jesse, Fives and Echo walked in. They stood there for a moment in awkward silence.

"So... About the execution..." Ahsoka said awkwardly.

* * *

The six of them sat in silence, waiting for their cue in the room beside the execution area. Fives was nervous. They would only be part of the last part of the execution. They weren't even supposed to know who was being executed officially. These regs were written for clones executing their brothers.

Still, he wasn't as nervous for this as he had been for the other execution. The one where Echo, Jesse, Hardcase and him were being executed for that thing with the fighters.

He shook his head. That was in the past now. He was supposed to rid the Republic of this filth now, and he was going too. Even if the clone wars wouldn't be over right away, they'd still be over soon. Hopefully.

The bell rang. They all got up and formed a line. Commander Tano first, followed by Rex, Echo, himself, Kix and Jesse.

They walked out, DC-15A Blaster rifles held high.

They put their blasters to down and waited for the Sith to be brought in. Ahsoka was the only one without a blaster, She'd give the order. He wasn't looking at her, he was standing as still as the regs said he had to. But he could feel how nervous she was through the force. He tried to send calming energy her way. She relaxed visibly, and he could feel that she was thankful. He also sent some to General Skywalker, who was overseeing the execution from somewhere behind him. Fives couldn't see him, but the general felt nervous.

Palpatine was brought in. He was handcuffed with force blocking cuffs. Good. Fives would've been lying to himself if he said it it didn't worry him that this guy was a Sith who could kill them all with the force and escape. But the Sith seemed distracted, somehow. Fives couldn't tell for sure, the man was blindfolded and he wasn't good at reading force signatures of people he didn't know well.

"Ready your weapons" Ahsoka said.

They did.

"Aim."

They followed her order, the five blasters clicking in unison. This is where he had spoken up on Umbara, but the former chancellor would get no such chance.

"Fire!"

The blasters went off at the same time, and the Sith crumpled to the ground.

There was a deafening silence as they all wondered if he was truly dead.

They all lowered their blasters.

"Medic, inspect the body" Ahsoka said, sticking to the protocol much better than he could ever have imagined she would. It was important that this happen as professionally as possible though.

Kix walked over to the body and touched the corpses throat.

Then, he stood up. "No pulse, Sir"

They all sighed with relief. It was over. The Sith was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ding dong the Sith is dead
> 
> Also thank you for reading :)


	32. The invitation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Padme invites Ahsoka and seven clones to a party

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a bit of a lighter chapter

In the week since Palpatine's execution, everything has been quiet. The body had been cremated, and the ashes had been scattered in an undisclosed location to prevent it from becoming a shrine. Even after everything that happened, some people still sided with the Chancellor and believed that his trial had been unfair and that the Chancellor was just doing what was best for the republic.

However, the separatist side of the galaxy had calmed down a bit. A significant amount of independent systems had asked for a truce, and the Republic had been more than happy to oblige.

Since they were technically fighting half a war now, a lot of clones now had some time off. The 501st was kept on Coruscant, along with some other battalions, so that they could be shipped out immediately if the truce with one of the other systems ended. However, that hadn't happened yet so they were taking some time to relax.

Ahsoka was playing cu'bikad with Jesse, who was in his blacks, when Hardcase ran into the dorm.

"Commander! We have a code three! Jesse, where is your comm? Why didn't you warn her?"

Jesse looked at his bunk, where the plates of his armour lay, and Ahsoka noticed his blinking commlink as well.

"Sorry, Sir" he said as he deactivated the holographic cube and walked over to his plates, putting them on.

Kix, who had been relaxing in the top bunk, hid his datapad with the book he was reading under his pillow and slid down the ladder. He grabbed his top armour from Jesse's bunk and started kitting up as well.

"What should I do?" Ahsoka asked.

The three of them looked at her, all of them without their helmets on except Jesse.

"Whatever a Jedi Commander is supposed to do according to the regs" Kix said.

"So I'm not supposed to be here"

"Then go where you're supposed to go?" Jesse said, putting his bucket on.

"The Jedi temple is too far away" She said. She also wouldn't be able to go in on her own anyway, not since leaving the order. Why she still had her old rank, she didn't know. The 501st was a mess.

"Alright, follow me" Hardcase said as he grabbed her wrist and pulled her along to a different row of bunks.

She let him pull her along, hoping that his idea wouldn't be terrible.

And then she saw that he was opening his locker. Yep, this was terrible.

Before she could protest, Hardcase had already pushed her inside and closed the door behind her.

The locker was honestly disgusting. The shelves were broken out of it, and he had hung a set of blacks in them that smelled like it hadn't been washed since the second battle of Geonosis. Or maybe it was the collection of socks that she was standing shin deep in.

"Hardcase, let me out!"

"Be quiet, commander. You aren't here"

She threw herself against the door, but she could feel that while it wasn't locked, the door was slamming against Hardcase's armour.

"Ssshh! Someone's coming, and you'll get us in trouble"

She heard Rex's familiar footsteps coming her way. Good, he'd help her out.

"Hardcase, have you seen Commander Tano?"

"No sir, she's not in the barracks, and why would a Jedi Commander be in the barracks?"

"Hardcase, Senator Amidala asked for her specifically. Well, her and the firing squad. But Jesse and Kix told me she went with you to hide"

"I'm in the locker, please rescue me"

She heard Rex push Hardcase aside and then the door opened.

As happy as she was to see Rex, the fresh air was better then anything right now. She stumbled out of the closet, walked past Rex and took a deep breath

Rex looked inside the locker and just stared at Hardcase.

"You're cleaning the toilets"

"What? That's unfair, I was only keeping us out of trouble"

"Okay fine," Ahsoka said. "Laundry duty sounds more appropriate anyway"

Rex nodded and Hardcase sighed and started picking up his collection of dirty socks.

"Follow me"

She followed Rex to his own locker, and he pulled out a spray can and handed it to her.

When she looked at him questioningly, he said "Deodorant. Thought you might want that after being inside that"

"Ah, thanks" she said as she put it on. It was weird to smell like that. The smell reminded her a little of Rex, but it didn't quite smell like him. Probably since part of his smell was well, him. Thought the fact that this was probably the same kind of deodorant all clones had, judging by the plain packaging, also made it smell less like Rex and more like barracks.

"No problem" he said, as he put his deodorant back and closed his locker.

"Why does Senator Amidala want to talk to us?"

"I don't know yet, I was just trying to find you"

"Alright, let's go see what she wants"

* * *

When they arrived back in the main hall, Senator Amidala was waiting patiently. Rex was honestly relieved. He knew that most senators wouldn't tolerate the chaos that was the 501st, and he really appreciated that about her. Fives, Echo, Jesse and Kix were already there.

"Hi Ahsoka, it's good to see you again" the Senator said.

"It's good to see you too" Ahsoka said, hugging her friend "What brings you to the mess?"

"Sir, we're in the main hall. Not the mess hall" Echo corrected her.

"I know, but I said what I said"

Senator Amidala chuckled at that and Rex relaxed a little. He had been a little worried about the unorganized state of the barracks and the 501st in general, but if the senator could laugh about it they'd be fine.

"Don't worry about that, Ahsoka" Senator Amidala said "I've seen Anakin's room, this is relatively well organized"

Ahsoka laughed at that and he couldn't help but smile at how cute she was.

"Have you guys been following what's happening in the Senate?" the Senator asked.

"No, Ma'am." Rex said "We've mostly been trying to relax since the whole... ordeal"

"As you should. But the Separatists are divided, and some systems have asked to initiate peace negotiations. Meanwhile, we're trying to elect a new chancellor. I'm also working on a bill to make sure you guys will at least get sentient rights and a chance to live your own life after the war"

The faces of his men lit up. Rex was excited as well, even though he already had his rights thanks to General Skywalker's bright idea to pass him off as a nat.

"That sounds amazing, Senator. You have our full support, even if we can't actually do anything" he said.

"Actually, I was here to ask you guys a favour. There is a large party in a week, and they wanted to invite some of the Jedi as well. General Kenobi made sure to get the tickets from the Jedi who refused and we have enough ticket to invite ten clones. I was wondering if you guys could come and make some small talk with everyone"

Rex looked at his men, and they seemed just as confused as he was.

"I'd be more then happy to, but I'm not sure how we'd be of help."

"The majority of Senators are really far removed from the war. They never even met a clone, and usually assume you guys aren't actually human" she said in a grim tone "I was hoping that letting them talk to you would open their eyes a bit"

"Of course, Senator. We'll be more than happy to help" Rex said, looking to his men for approval. They nodded.

"Alright. I'd really appreciate it if the six of you could show up, but there are eight tickets in total so feel free to invite two more"

"Of course, thank you Senator" he said.

"No problem. I've got other things to attend to. Here is Sabé's comm frequency in case you need any information"

Senator Amidala left the barracks and Rex turned to Ahsoka. She, however, had immediately turned to Jesse, said "this time, the Jedi alarm won't save you" and ran off with him.

Rex shot Kix a confused look, and the medic just looked at him, shrugged and said "They were playing cu'bikad and she was winning when the Jedi alarm went off"

He smiled to himself. He was so lucky to have a girl who got along with his brothers like she was one of them, and he was looking forward to spending the rest of his life with her after the war.

* * *

Later that day, Fives was sitting in the mess hall with Echo, Tup, Stitches, Jesse and Kix. They had sent Rex and Ahsoka a comm message too, but they were stuck in the commanders office doing force knows what and none of them felt like disturbing them. They had just gotten a list of things to keep in mind from Sabé, including dress codes.

"So, dress uniforms, be polite, introduce yourself with you name, don't mention that you're a clone right away but don't hide it when asked, don't get too drunk." Echo repeated.

"Yeah" Jesse said, still upset from losing at cu'bikad. Again.

"What's Commander Tano gonna wear?"

"Right now, probably nothing" Fives thought to himself. He knew what was going on, but he didn't want to think about it. Something about it pissed him off and he didn't know what.

"A dress uniform, like us" Jesse said, rolling his eyes.

"Well how will we find one that fits?" Tup asked.

"We could resize one of the spare ones" Stitches offered. "I could do the sewing if I know her size"

"I can probably figure that out with my records and some of her clothing" Kix said.

Then, they all looked at Fives.

"Why are you looking at me?" Fives asked

"You're the one who's going to break into her locker" Echo said.

"Why?"

Tup chuckled. "Because you can open her locker"

Fives sighed. Tup was right. Ahsoka had modified her locker with her light saber, cutting off the outer handle. The lockers didn't have any locks (he had no clue why they were called lockers then, but he didn't design the barracks so it wasn't his problem) and hers could only be opened from the inside. She started locking the clones out after they went through her locker to do laundry, got her clothes out and threw them in with the load of new blacks, which is how they discovered that you should wash dark fabric seperately.

"Fine, I'll do it. What do you need?"

"A full outfit and something with sleeves" Kix said.

Fives got up an went to the locker room.

As he got the clothes from her locker, he thought about why he was so upset that the girl who was so much like a sister to him was happy with his brother. He wasn't jealous. Sure, Ahsoka was attractive. But he didn't have any feelings for her. He was sure of that. He wasn't bothered by the fact that she had a boyfriend either. He wasn't bothered by Rex having a girlfriend. Some of his brothers had girlfriends. He had even helped get them together.

So why was he bothered at all? He decided to put this thought to the side for now. They had a dress uniform to resize.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading


	33. The Senate Party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ahsoka and some of the clones go to a senate party

The Coruscant sun was still pretty high in the sky when Ahsoka arrived at the barracks and parked in the visitors section. She was just getting out of her speeder when Fives came running up in a dress uniform.

"Commander! There you are. Are you looking forward to tonight's dinner?"

"Yes, I am. You look great in that uniform by the way" she said, thinking about how Rex looked in the same uniform.

Fives looked at her sheepishly, but quickly shook that expression off his face. "Thanks, Commander. We got you a matching one"

"..what?" she said.

"We resized a dress uniform for you"

"Was that the surprise?"

"Uhhhh... Possibly?" Fives said.

Ahsoka smiled at him and punched him in the elbow.

"Just pretend to be surprised" he said.

"Sure, no problem."

"Turn around"

She did, and he put his hands over her eyes and started guiding her inside.

* * *

When he lifted his hands, she was in a different room of the barracks. Kix was touching up his hair and Jesse was finishing brushing Tup's hair. Before her, she could see a similar dress uniform to the ones Fives, Kix, Echo, Stitches, Jesse and Tup were wearing laid out on the table. Except it had been resized and it had Jaig eyes stitched into the chest, where the medals usually went.

"Wow, did you guys make this for me?" She asked.

"Yeah, we did" Jesse said.

"I did the embroidery" Stitches said proudly "I gave Rex your forehead markings. It was his idea"

"That was a cute idea" she said.

"Too cute" she practically heard Fives think through the force.

"But where is he?"

"Outside, preparing our ride with General Skywalker" Echo said "We wanted to surprise him with your outfit. He didn't know we gave you his Jaig Eyes by the way, he just wanted your markings. He doesn't know what outfit we got you. Do you think you can put it on?"

"Yeah, I know how it's supposed to be worn. I pulled an identical set off of Rex once" she said.

She could practically feel Fives get annoyed at that, but she ignored him for now and started changing into the dress uniform. She wasn't really bothered by the clones still being there. She'd changed in front of them during deployments more times than she could count anyway.

After she was done, Echo came up to her and started fixing her collar.

"Thanks Echo. Are you all ready to go?"

"Yes" the clones answered.

* * *

Rex was just done replacing the speeders seat covers after General Skywalker had spilled caf on them when he saw Ahsoka come out of the barracks.

She was wearing a fitted dress uniform, and had his jaig eyes on her chest.

He just stared at her. She looked amazing. He couldn't really think of much else.

She walked up to him and gave him a quick kiss and got in the speeder. He got in next to her on autopilot and put an arm around her.

* * *

When they were almost at the party, Fives had had it with the amount of PDA from his commanders.

"Can you two tone it down?"

"Sorry Fives" Ahsoka said.

"He has a point, Snips. You don't have to hide your relationship anymore, but it might be better to uhm... keep it subtle. We're here to make a good impression on the senators."

"Got it, Sir. My Apologies" Rex said.

"We're here" General Skywalker said as they pulled up to the building. Senator Amidala was waiting for them outside.

"Hi Angel" General Skywalker said.

"General Skywalker?" Senator Amidala asked.

"I mean, Senator Amidala"

Fives mentally facepalmed. They were even worse than Rex and Ahsoka.

While the General talked to Senator Amidala, Fives looked around. There were a lot of formal looking types, but they seemed friendly enough. The outfits seemed impractical, but there was no immediate danger so it'd be fine. He still felt uncomfortable about being unarmed, but he could probably take most of them in hand to hand if he had too.

Senator Amidala got them all inside and they started to disperse.

He didn't really know anyone, so he just walked to one of the tables and got a drink. He'd been told that they were free, but that he had to stay sober enough to make a civilized impression.

He was just sipping his drink when a woman spoke to him. "Excuse me, can I ask you a personal question?" He turned around. She was wearing an elaborate gown and headdress and carried herself regally.

"Of course, Si- Ma'am" he corrected himself.

"We heard a rumour that several clones were attending. Are you one of them?"

"Yes, my name is Fives"

"That's an interesting name. How did you get it?"

"I was born with the number CT-27-5555. It was a mouthful so I shortened it"

"Well, it's nice to meet you Fives. I'm Breha Organa, Queen of Alderaan"

Fives suddenly got nervous. "it's a pleasure to meet you, Sir. I mean your majesty"

"Don't worry about that. My husband is helping Senator Amidala with her bill to get you guys sentient rights after everything you did for the Republic. Is it alright if I introduce you to my husband and some of his fellow senators?"

"Of course. That's why I'm here. What do you think I should say to them?"

"Just tell them about yourself, and about your brothers"

"Alright" Fives said, following the queen to a group of people.

* * *

Rex was talking to Orn Free Taa when Fives tried to get his attention. He'd been more than happy to stop talking to the Twi'lek senator. Rex could see why the people of Ryloth didn't like him. The senator had no idea about some of the conditions he and his brothers were kept in and kept making it awkward by asking Rex about luxuries Rex was completely unaware of, like scented oils and different types of cutlery he never heard off. Rex could tell that the other senators felt sorry for them after finding out only Tup owned a bottle of conditioner and that none of them knew what Mahogany was. Apparently wood.

"Fives, what is it?"

"Have you seen what General Skywalker is up to?"

"Yes, he went home with Senator Amidala after he had too much too drink"

"Rex, he was our ride"

"Haar'chak!" he said under his breath "Why would he leave us here like that?"

"Judging by his force signature, he wasn't thinking with his brain if you know what I mean"

Rex sighed. This was great. They were on the higher levels of Coruscant, one of those places that couldn't be reached on foot. And then he realized something.

"Wait, can you tell what organ someone is thinking with?"

"Yeah, and I can usually tell when you try to... Nevermind"

"No, what is it?"

"It's just annoying to be able to tell what you intend to do with Commander Tano"

"Ah, I'm sorry Fives. I didn't know you could tell. I'll do my best to hide that from you, though I don't know how"

"Thanks, Vod. Now, let's find a way to get back to the barracks tonight"

* * *

Ahsoka was talking to Jesse, Bail Organa and a couple of other Senators when Rex and Fives came up to her.

"Sir, we lost General Skywalker" Rex said.

Ahsoka sighed. "I knew this would happen. Let's find Obi-Wan"

"General Kenobi is here?" Fives asked.

"Yeah, didn't you run into him? He's been busy trying to show off Cody to the senators for the same reason that you're here and he's got an extra transport because he knew Anakin might do something stupid"

"Cody is here?" Rex asked.

"Do you know Commander Cody?" Senator Organa asked.

Rex nodded. "He's my batchmate"

"What's a batchmate?" one of the other Senators asked.

"Someone who you grew up and trained with" Rex explained.

Before he knew it, he was talking about his training to all the senators again. Luckily, they seemed to be interested and eventually, General Kenobi and Cody joined. After they all talked a bit more,they finally got to go back to the Barracks.

* * *

When they arrived at the barracks, they all felt exhausted.

"Good night boys" Ahsoka said as she walked to the door.

"Where are you going commander?" Jesse asked.

"Jedi temple" She said.

"Oh no you don't" Rex said, grabbing her.

"Rex, I can't sleep here." she argued, but she could feel his body heat through the dress uniforms.

She pretty much drifted off in his arms right away, not realizing how tired she had been.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading
> 
> Haar'chak! = damnit


	34. The Afterparty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ahsoka wakes up in the barracks with Rex and talks things out with Fives

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the next chapter.

Ahsoka woke up in Rex's arms. He had fallen asleep in his own bunk in the shared sleeping quarters with her on top of him, wearing his blacks instead of the dress uniform he was wearing last night. She was wearing blacks as well. She briefly wondered how she had changed, but she knew the clones would have respected her privacy and let Rex (or maybe Kix if Rex hadn't been awake enough) do it. Her lekku had wrapped around his neck. She hoped that none of the clones had seen that, but the mostly empty bunks around her implied otherwise.

"No... We need that mayonnaise" Rex mumbled.

She looked at him curiously. "What do we need mayonnaise for?"

"To put on the clankers"

"What?" she asked, still confused.

Rex didn't answer, but she felt Jesse behind one of the rows of lockers. Would she be able to call him without waking Rex?

She tried reaching through the force, suggesting that he should come her way. He did, and as soon as he came into view she gestured at him to come over.

"I had a feeling that I should check here. Is everything alright here?" He whispered as he knelt down next to Rex's bunk.

"Yeah that was my force suggestion. Sorry for that. Rex is saying weird things about mayonnaise"

"Yeah, he does that sometimes. Usually when he has some alcohol in his system. Try talking to him, he usually talks back and say some weird stuff or he's just way to honest about things."

"Way too honest? How?"

Jesse just grinned and turned to Rex.

"Who's your favourite trooper?"

"Myself" Rex answered clearly.

"Why?"

"Because I'm the only one here who isn't an idiot"

"Hey!" Ahsoka said.

"You don't count, cyare. You're not a clone. Which I'm thankful for. It would be kind of awkward if you were"

"Yeah... it would" Ahsoka said. She looked to Jesse, exchanged a look with him and then punched Rex in the chest with a hammer fist. Rex ignored it. She knew he'd be able to take a hit like that, but she hadn't expected him to sleep through it.

"Rex, wake up. That's an order"

"We have the same rank now. You can't order me around" he said.

She and Jesse exchanged looks. "He usually wakes up if you get something wet in his face"

Without hesitation, Ahsoka licked the side of his face. He woke up immediately.

"Ahsoka!" he said, surprised at the lick. He then looked at Jesse, who was shocked at what he just witnessed. "And Jesse. Hi"

"Good morning, Commander" Jesse said "Do you want to get breakfast with the boys?"

"Yeah, sounds good" he said, getting up and pushing Ahsoka to the side. She got up as well, and followed Rex and Jesse to the mess hall.

When they got there, Echo was on mess duty and had already taken meat out of the fridge for her. What kind of meat, she couldn't tell. It was ground up, probably the result of a clone getting lost in a civilian grocery and eventually getting the cheapest thing that had the word "meat" on the packaging and bought a lot of it which ended up in the freezer.

"I have no clue what this is, but it's the only meat in the freezer. Do you want this?"

She looked at it. It was normal meat, it looked fine. "Yeah, sure. Just put it in a bowl"

Echo just took it out of the package and plopped it in an oatmeal bowl and put a spoon in it. Then he changed his mind and put a fork instead. Then he put the spoon in as well, since it had already touched the meat and he didn't know what the right utensils for raw ground up mystery meat.

He handed her the bowl apologetically, and she accepted it and went over to where Rex and Jesse had sat down, with Fives and Kix.

"So, anyway Rex just told us he's his own favourite clone" Jesse said as she sat down.

"I didn't, when would I have said that?" Rex asked.

"While you were sleeping. Commander Tano can confirm"

Rex looked around to her.

"Yeah, you said that. But it wasn't as bad as that time you told Skyguy that he wasn't subtle with his secret relationship"

"What? when did i do that?"

"The day after I turned 16. I let you sleep over at the temple because your armour was soaked, and you straight up told Skyguy that he and Senator Amidala weren't fooling anyone"

"No, I didn't"

"Yes, you did. And then Skyguy walked away before you woke up, and then you asked for a promotion that afternoon, and he gave it to you because saying that to your general after sleeping with his padawan is true bravery"

"Wait, you guys slept together after the Commander turned 16?" Fives asked

"Obviously, before that would've gotten him arrested" Jesse joked.

"Or it could get me arrested" Ahsoka joked.

"But officer, he looked 24! How was I supposed to know he was actually 12!" Fives snickered, before he turned to Rex "Seriously though, what happened that night?"

"Nothing, we just slept together. Literally" Rex said, truthfully. "Though I think the miscommunication around it did get me thinking about her in a less... professional way. But I wasn't going to act on it first though. I didn't think she'd feel the same way anyway"

"Why would you think that?" Ahsoka asked.

"Well, I'm a clone. I know you wouldn't go for me based on looks, and as far as I knew you only saw me as a friend"

She smiled at him and kissed his forehead. Fives rolled his eyes.

"Guys, am I the only one who's worried about the General and the Senator?"

"Which senator?" Jesse asked.

"We all know which senator" Rex said "And no, why would we be?"

"Well, if he was drunk enough to kiss Senator Amidala in front of me and a bunch of her colleagues, he might make some other mistakes. The natural born kind"

"Kix, Skyguy would never be that reckless" Ahsoka said sarcastically.

"And if he is, it's not our problem for once" Rex said.

"Unless the war ends and we all get repurposed as his personal babysitters" Fives said.

"Was that a force vision?" Jesse asked.

"I don't know. Ahsoka?"

"I don't know either. I had no visions about that. But the few times I had a vision, I just knew. So probably not"

"That's good to hear" Fives said.

"Oh, by the way" Rex said "Maybe Ahsoka could teach you how shield against other people's feelings"

"Yeah, of course. Who's bothering you?" she asked.

"Uhm... It's you and Rex, Sir"

She looked at Rex and he shrugged "Apparently I suck at shielding"

"No, you don't. Your shields are fine. Fives, how much can you tell about people without actively looking at them through the force?"

"A lot, Sir. A lot of things I don't want to know"

"Like what? Can you tell when we're doing our uhm... private stuff?" Jesse asked.

"Yes." Fives said bluntly. "but that's not what's bothering me the most"

"Then what is?"

"Honestly, them" Fives said.

"Us?" Ahsoka asked.

"Yeah, can I be blunt with you?"

"Yeah, of course" Ahsoka said. As much as she wanted him to just be honest with her, she wasn't looking forward to whatever he was about to say.

"Look, I like you. But I absolutely don't like you in the way he does. You're basically my sister. And that's why it's really awkward when you're screwing my brother"

They all remained silent while Rex's face turned several shades darker, as did Ahsoka's lekku.

Then, Jesse and Kix started laughing.

"Fives, we all feel the same way about that" Jesse said.

"Yeah, it's kinda awkward for all of us. Do you have any clue how awkward it is to palpate her lymph nodes when I know Rex has touched her with basically the same hands only a bit uhm... lower"

"Kix, your hands feel nothing like Rex's" Ahsoka protested.

"Do I want to know?" Jesse asked.

"Probably? I mean this is about skin texture. Kix's skin is a bit drier from being disinfected so often and Rex has different strength in his hands. Probably from using a blaster much more often. Besides, Rex doesn't smell like rubbing alcohol"

"Well, that's a relief." Kix said "But that won't help Fives, he probably has the exact same hands as Rex"

Ahsoka made a mental note of that. If she couldn't get Rex's ring size, Fives would probably be a good substitute, provided she could keep him quiet.

"Well, I won't have to palpate her lymph nodes so that's fine. But I really want to be able to be in the barracks without knowing that she's currently bent over the desk"

Ahsoka felt her lekku flush even darker at that. "Yeah, I'll teach you to block that out"

"Thank you" Fives said.

"I'm sorry, Fives. I genuinely didn't know that you had such keen senses for that"

"Wait, this isn't normal?"

"Not really. Most untrained force sensitives have something they're extra good at, but this is a lot even by fully trained Jedi standards"

"Wait, what? How can I see more than most Jedi?"

"Honestly, I think you just lack focus. I can usually track a single person that way if I'm familiar with their force signature, but it looks like you're looking at everything at once. How do you not get overwhelmed"

"To be honest, I'm always a bit overwhelmed. But I got used to it"

"Can I ask if there was anything you were good at when you were younger?" Kix asked.

"Feeling who could be trusted. That's how I knew to trust Master Plo and not the fake Jedi who also tried to take me"

"And the General?" Jesse asked.

"Well, I only met him at Christophsis, but I was told he had really good reflexes at a young age. He did podracing when he was 9"

"Yeah, he told me about that. Turns out that skill easily translates into flying a star fighter and then blowing up a large ship"

Ahsoka laughed. Typical Skyguy.

* * *

Anakin woke up with a massive hangover. He rolled over and his hand hit someone. Padmé.

Then, last nights events came back to him. They had made love, and it had been amazing. They had gone home after that boring senate party, the one in which they had introduced...

Oh no, the clones! He had left the clones at the party without them, and he had been their ride! Not that he would have been able to drive them home after he got drunk - even he wasn't that reckless.

He got up and started looking for his clothes and comm. Padmé woke up from it

"Padmé, I forgot my clones"

"Don't you mean clothes?" she said, sleepily.

"No, clones. the boys are still at the party. We need to get them"

Padmé rubbed her eyes and checked her comm. "Ani, there's a message on here that says Obi-Wan took the clones and Ahsoka back to the barracks"

"Oh... okay." He said.

"Get back in bed, Ani"

Anakin did as his wife said, and she snuggled up to him.

"I still feel bad for for just leaving my men and Ahsoka behind like that though"

"I know, but aside from that everything went well. I have no doubt that this will help us get them rights"

"That's good to hear. Though I'm not sure if this is the Senate's main concern right now, since we're currently without a chancellor"

"The senate will elect a new chancellor as soon as possible" Padmé said.

"Do you have any idea who might be elected?"

"No, I don't. We're not allowed to discuss this among each other. I'm voting for Bail. His calm leadership is what the Republic needs now that we might finally be heading towards peace for once"

"That sounds reasonable. Bail would make a great chancellor. But so would you, angel"

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Ani. But I'll stand by what the Senate decides"

"I know, angel" he said, kissing her forehead.

She kissed him on his lips before pulling him down into the bed again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Let's just hope that Anakin and Padme were safe and don't get any... surprises iykwim


	35. The Duchess

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Obi-Wan receives a distress call from Mandalore

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... I decided to shift this arc around as well. I kind of wanted to change the siege of Mandalore and afaik I never talked about the whole stuff that happened on Mandalore. So now the whole Satine thing is happening now. I didn't want too much of a canon-rewrite so I changed a few other things as well

"This is a message for Obi-Wan Kenobi. I've lost Mandalore. My people have been massacred, and Almec is now the Prime Minister. I can't explain everything now, but Almec has the support of the crime families" Satine looked over her shoulder "..Obi-Wan, I need your help" She said before several armoured Mandalorians landed around her and she raised her hands in surrender.

"Your thoughts on this, Master Kenobi?" Yoda asked.

"Satine has been at odds with the Death watch for years. And according to a report from Padawan Tano, they're no longer in league with the separatists. If there was a take over on Mandalore, it was most likely an independent act. caused by the death watch alone"

"Without involvement from the separatists, this is an internal affair for the Mandalorians. I'm afraid we can not help" Ki-Adi Mundi said.

"We can't just hand Mandalore over to these crime families and let Satine become a martyr!" Obi-Wan objected.

"I'm afraid her decision to keep Mandalore neutral makes this situation... difficult" Mundi argued. He was right, but Obi-Wan still wanted to help her. And not just because... Satine. But also because if Mandalore stopped being pacifist and got involved in the war, things did not look well for anyone.

"Understand your feelings, I do, Obi-Wan. But to take action, support from the republic senate, we will need.

"You know what the senate will decide. They will not send aid to a neutral system" Obi-Wan said.

"At this time, nothing more can we do"

Obi-Wan sighed and walked out the door. He knew that Mundi was right, and that it would be foolish to go by himself. But he couldn't let Satine die.

"Master, what was that about?" Anakin asked. His former Padawan had apparently been waiting outside the door with Ahsoka in tow. Normally, he'd tell him off. But now, Obi-Wan had a crazy idea. One that Anakin might follow along with.

"We received a message from Satine. Mandalore has been taken over"

"So, when are we going to leave?" Ahsoka asked.

"The council said we cannot interfere. Why are you even here?"

"I figured I'd come by to see how you Jedi are doing. Rex and the boys are training and I was bored."

"And everyone just kind of lets her walk around the temple because they feel bad about throwing her out again. As they should" Anakin said.

"We plan to smuggle Rex in next time. I did promise him to show him the Jedi archives someday"

"Ahsoka, non-Jedi aren't allowed inside the temple often, and the archives are particularly off limits. What would Rex want there anyway?"

"I just wanted to show him what it looked like." she said "We weren't interested in the data"

Obi-Wan sighed. He knew that Ahsoka would try, regardless of his opinion. "If you get caught, that's on you"

"I know" Ahsoka said "So, while we're on the subject of breaking the rules: when are we going to Mandalore?"

"Ahsoka, the council said-"

"Since when do we give a kriff about what they think?" Anakin interrupted.

Obi-Wan sighed "As soon as possible. We can't bring any clones into this though, so it will be just the three of us"

"Alright, we'll get everything we need. We'll see you at the temple's landing pad" Ahsoka said, running off already, closely followed by Anakin.

He slid his hands over his face, smiling behind his hands. He really appreciated their help, and the council usually didn't blame him for being reckless if Anakin was also involved.

* * *

Ahsoka was busy packing her bags when Rex walked into their shared quarters.

"You're leaving?" he asked.

"Yeah, there's been a takeover on Mandalore. The Republic can't get involved, but Obi-Wan is going to save Duchess Satine and Anakin and I are going to help him"

"I'm coming with you"

"You can't, Obi-Wan said we couldn't bring any clones and someone needs to watch the boys"

"Actually, I was thinking they should get used to being without a CO. They won't have one after the war either. And I'm legally a nat now"

Ahsoka laughed at that "No, you're not. You're a nat according to the GAR. Legally speaking, you don't exist"

"Well, if I don't exist they can't stop me from coming along. I want to stay with you Ahsoka"

"Do you have anything that you can wear that doesn't scream "I'm a clone" though?"

"Yeah, I still have the armour I wore on Onderon and a few sets of civvies"

"Perfect. Grab those and follow me. We're leaving now"

"Yes sir" he said teasingly, already typing out a message to his men that he'd be gone and that they'd have to deal with being alone.

* * *

Anakin burst into Padmé's apartment to find his clothes. She was sitting at the table, staring at some kind of stick.

"Angel, you're back. How was the senate meeting?"

"They elected me to be chancellor" she said.

"Padmé, that's wonderful!"

"I suppose so. I feel weird about it. I never thought of myself in that position"

"You'll do great, angel" he said, leaning down to kiss her forehead.

"I know, but..." She said, and then she revealed the plastic stick thing she'd been staring at.

There was a small display, showing two stripes. It took him a minute before he realized

"I'M GONNA BE A FATHER???"

* * *

Obi-Wan waited by his own ship while he considered his options. It would be unlikely for death watch to just execute her right away, and he had a feeling she was still alive. If they wanted her dead right away, they'd have killed her already. Mandalore wasn't known for it's lengthy trials. If they were keeping her hostage, they'd kept her alive as bait. Regardless, he'd be better off not landing near Sundari.

He was taken out of his thoughts by Ahsoka running towards the ship, followed closely by Rex, who was dressed in the non-clone armour he wore to Onderon

"Ahsoka, it's good to see you. Why is Rex here?"

"I'm coming too, Sir"

"Ahsoka, we cannot take a clone with us. The Republic-"

"Won't mind because Rex is technically an natural born human now, remember?" she said smugly.

Obi-Wan sighed, but before he could give his begrudging approval, Anakin came running towards them.

"Obi-Wan! Ahsoka! Rex! I'm gonna be a father!" he said before flinging himself at Rex, who happened the be the first person he ran into.

Rex just stood there, looking uncomfortable, while Anakin seemed to be trying to break his collar bones in the hug he gave him

Obi-Wan pulled the soon to be father away from Rex with the force, who muttered something like "Congratulations General"

"Anakin, what the hell?" he asked Anakin.

"Oh, yes. Uhm... I have something to confess"

"If you're going to tell me you've been secretly married to Senator Amidala since this war started, I don't want to hear it. I already knew"

"Alright then. I'm sorry master. I won't hold us up any longer"

"Skyguy, shouldn't you stay with Padmé instead?"

"No, she said she'll be fine and she'll be preoccupied with her new job as chancellor anyway. And I told her about Satine, and she prefers that I come with you guys to rescue her friend and Obi-Wan's girlfriend instead"

Obi-Wan just sighed but refused to give Anakin the satisfaction of answering that. "Let's just go to Mandalore"

Anakin nodded and they got on the ship. Anakin got in the pilot's seat and took off, plotting a course for Mandalore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading


	36. The Deathwatch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Obi-Wan, Anakin, Ahsoka and Rex go to Mandalore where an unexpected alliance is formed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time to set up siege of Mandalore and revenge of the sith (if we can even call it that now that there’s only one left. Well, one that’s part of the seperatist plot anyway)

When the ship entered the evening atmosphere, they were immediately contacted by an unfamiliar voice speaking in Mando'a. Ahsoka's Mando'a wasn't that good, but she could tell that this man was asking them to identify themselves. Obi-Wan answered with something in Mando'a, and he got an acknowledgement in return. Then, four fighters came out of the cloud and started flying next to them.

"Who are they?" Ahsoka asked.

"Death watch" Obi-Wan said from the copilot's seat "They'll guide us to their camp"

"What?" 

"Are you serious?" Anakin asked.

"Yes, we needed to find their camp anyway and they said they were willing to negotiate"

"This sounds like a trap"

"Then we should spring the trap" Obi-Wan said.

Rex just pinched the bridge of his nose, so Ahsoka put a hand on his arm in support.

He muttered something under his breath in Mando'a, but all Ahsoka could make out was the word "Jetii"

"I know" she said.

"Well, here goes nothing" Anakin said as he followed the fighters down to one of the canyons that ran through the wasteland.

They landed at the bottom, surrounded by the fighters that had flown in with them and a lot of other fighters that were already parked there. Judging by the speeders, this seemed to be where they stored all their vehicles. 

They got out of their ship, and the pilots from the fighters raised their blasters and pointed further into the canyon.

"This way" one of them said.

"Alright" Obi-Wan said and the four of them followed the mandalorians to their camp.

It seemed like any military camp they had been to, aside from the lack of the Republic Cog on every tent or crate or Jesse.

The people there gave her a lot of tilted helmets, but didn't seem to be aggressive. That was unexpected for what she assumed to be Death Watch.

They were brought before a woman in blue and white Mandalorian armour.

"Hello, it's a pleasure to meet you. Can I ask who you are?" Obi-Wan asked with his signature "flirting with the enemy" charm.

"Are you Obi-Wan?" the warrior asked.

"Yes, I am General Obi-Wan Kenobi" he replied.

"I had hoped you would come"

"Have we met before?"

The woman just took her helmet off, revealing her face. She had pale skin, a red bob and green eyes.

"No, we haven't. My name is Bo-Katan" she said, extending her hand to Obi-Wan.

He shook it.

"Enough with the fake pleasantries" Anakin interrupted "Why did you guys take over Mandalore?"

Bo-Katan looked at him, but she remained calm.

"We felt that Mandalore had become weak, and we wanted the Duchess to abdicate and let Mandalore be ruled by real Mandalorians again"

"And so you staged a coup" Anakin asked. 

"Yes, after we got the support of the people" Bo-Katan said "That was the idea anyway. But then that outsider killed Vizla and took the throne for himself. We want it back, and we need your help"

"Why are you asking for our help?" Obi-Wan asked "The Republic does not want to interfere with Mandalore's internal matters"

"I know, and I originally didn't want a Jedi involved either. But my sister called you, and you arrived like she expected. And I want her out of there, alive"

"You're Satine's sister" Obi-Wan concluded.

Bo-Katan stayed silent for a moment, and then answered with a quiet "yes"

"I'm so sorry" Obi-Wan said.

"So, who's this outsider?" Ahsoka asked.

"Some guy named Maul" Bo-Katan said.

Obi-Wan froze. 

"Do you know him?"

"Unfortunately" Obi-Wan admitted "He killed my master during the Naboo Crisis. I thought I had killed him after that but he seemed to have survived. Somehow."

"You should have made sure he was dead" Bo-Katan said.

"With all due respect, I cut him in half and he fell down a garbage shute. You can't blame me for thinking he'd be dead"

"That's fair" Bo-Katan said "So, are you willing to help us?"

"I don't know, what are your plans with Satine?"

"We want her pacifist regime overthrown, but we mean her no harm. If I'm honest, I just want my sister back, but I don't want her to rule Mandalore"

"As long as Satine is going to be safe. What kind of help do you need?"

"Ideally, a republic invasion. Mandalore would survive that, but Maul wouldn't"

"I'll see what I can do. Since this was an internal affair, I might have some difficulty with that"

"Maul has no intention of keeping this internal" 

"Then we have a deal"

"Great. We'll discuss the details tomorrow. My men will get you tents"

"Thank you"

* * *

Rex looked around the camp while the four of them were being brought to their new tents. The mandalorians weren't really paying attention to him. Good. He followed the two soldiers to the storage unit

"Sorry, we only have two tents" the male warrior said.

"That's okay" He said "I don't mind sharing"

"Yeah but three is going to be a bit crowded"

"Three?" he asked.

"Yeah, we assumed it would be improper to bunk the..." the mandalorian looked at Ahsoka, clearly unsure how to call her. Rex couldn't blame him. She was too old for "girl" and to young for "woman". If only basic had a female equivalent to "guy". "Lady with one of the guys" the Mandalorian decided on.

"Don't worry, I can share with my boyfriend" Ahsoka said

"I thought you Jedi weren't allowed to like people" the female Mandalorian asked.

"I'm no Jedi" Ahsoka said.

"And it's not like we're not allowed to like people." Anakin said "We just aren't allowed to let our attachments get in the way of our duty"

"Ah okay" the male soldier said "So are you guys allowed to... You know"

His female college slapped him in the back of the bucket with an audible clunk.

"Technically, yes. But it's discouraged to prevent getting attached" Anakin said.

"Ah, okay. Don't be too loud. It'd make them jealous" the male Mandalorian said, poking Rex in the side.

"Oh, trust me. I'm not jealous" Anakin said.

"Oh. You into men?" He said, tilted his helmet curiously.

"Nope. I'm mar- I mean she's basically my sister"

General Kenobi rolled his eyes at that, but said "I feel the same way"

"Okay. I'll go with the both of you. Pranay will go with the lovebirds" the man said.

Pranay sighed, grabbed a tent and motioned for Rex and Ahsoka to follow her.

"Sorry about my colleague," she said "He's a little... odd"

"No worries," Rex said.

"So... How do you know Kenobi?" She asked.

"I'm the commander of the 501st, and General Kenobi often goes on joint missions with us," he replied.

"Is that a clone battalion?"

"Yes, one of the most elite" Rex said. He was starting to suspect that she really didn't know.

"I always wondered if they're truly as droid-like as most people say" 

"No," he said "We aren't"

"We? you must be really close with your men"

"You really don't know, do you?"

The woman's helmet tilted, and Rex just took off his helmet and goggles.

She just gave him a confused look, but Ahsoka switched places with him and whispered "He's a clone" to Pranay.

"Oh... I'm so sorry" she said to Rex. 

"It's alright. Would you mind keeping it quiet? I'm curious to see how people react if they don't know"

"Yeah, sure. Though most of us are apparently very misinformed"

"I know. I'm helping Senator Amidala with getting us human rights. I might need the insight we get from this"

"You mean Chancellor Amidala?" Pranay said.

"What?" Ahsoka asked, just as surprised as he was.

"She's been sworn in an hour ago" Pranay said.

"We were in hyperspace at the time" Rex said.

"Do you think Skyguy knows?" Ahsoka asked.

"Probably. Do you think Kenobi knows?"

"I don't know. Let's not tell him and maybe we'll get to see the look on his face when he finds out" Ahsoka said, grinning.

"Well, I'm glad you two are having fun, but you should probably help me set up this tent" Pranay said.

"Yes, of course" Rex said as he and Ahsoka got to work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading


	37. The Kidnapping

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Chancellor Amidala is kidnapped by count Dooku, Anakin rushes to her help, dragging Ahsoka and Rex with him

Ahsoka woke up in Rex's arms. He was already awake and greeted her with a kiss on the forehead.

"Good morning," she said, kissing him on the nose in return.

"How did you sleep?" he asked.

"I slept great," she said "you're still nice to sleep on. I love how warm you are"

Rex blushed slightly at that.

"Thanks" he said.

"We should get up now," she said "I have a feeling that something important is going to happen today, and that we should be ready for it"

When they got out of their tent, they heard shots from inside the camp. It didn't sound too worrying, considering this is Mandalore, but still.

"Let's go see what's going on over there" Ahsoka said.

Rex nodded and followed her.

After walking past a few tents, they stumbled upon a shooting range where Korkie was teaching Obi-Wan how to use a blaster rifle while lying down.

"You need to hold it more tightly," Korkie said "This way, you'll have to re-aim every single shot because the blaster moves too much when recoiling"

Obi-Wan sighed and shot the rock they had painted a target on again. He hit it, but not on the target.

"Getting uncivilised, are we?" Ahsoka joked.

"Hello Ahsoka. And yes, I figured it couldn't hurt to touch up on my blaster skills, even if it's not my usual style"

"You should try aiming with the hand that's on the butt instead, sir" Rex advised.

"So that's why he kept missing" Korkie said. Then he looked at Ahsoka. "It's good to see you again, Padawan Tano"

"It's good to see you too, Korkie. But you can call me Ahsoka now. I'm no longer a padawan"

"Oh? What happened?"

"It's a long story. The short version is that I left the Jedi Order on my own terms but was hired back into the GAR as a commander"

"Oh, I'm sorry Ahsoka"

"No worries. I'm fine now" she said "So how did you end up here?"

"Aunt Bo asked me to help get aunt Satine out. We were almost successful, but she got captured at the last minute while calling General Kenobi. Once we saw they weren't going to kill her, we fled. It was better to be able to free her another day then to get captured with her"

"Sounds like the right choice," Rex said "even though fleeing might have made you look like cowards, it's better than risking your life needlessly"

"Well said" Korkie said.

"Korkie, can I ask you something?" Obi-Wan said, getting up from where he'd been lying.

"Of course"

"What are your views on Satine's pacifism?"

"I... Well, It's a complicated measure of course. Mandalore thrived when we weren't spending all of our resources on pointless wars. But Satine's regime would often not take appropriate action when necessary.

"I didn't always agree with Satine either," Obi-Wan said "But-"

At that moment, Ahsoka felt a surge of panic from Anakin. Obi-Wan looked in the direction it came from too.

Anakin came running towards both of them "THEY KIDNAPPED PADMÉ!!!"

"Anakin, calm down. What happened?"

Anakin reached them, almost out of breath "The Separatists. They have Padmé"

"Don't worry Anakin, we'll get her back" Ahsoka said.

"I'll stay here on Mandalore. You, Ahsoka and Rex should go. Take the shuttle we came in and send the 212th this way as soon as you can"

"Alright. Come on, we've got no time to lose" Anakin said.

They followed him to the shuttle without hesitation.

* * *

When they dropped out of hyperspace, the battle of Coruscant was going on in full force.

"She's on that ship!" Anakin said before igniting the thrusters and making a mad dash to the Invisible Hand's hangar.

"Anakin, slow down!" Ahsoka said, but he didn't listen. He had to get Padmé. If something happened to her now, he'd lose it.

They broke through the shield and the shuttle hit the hanger floor at high velocity, skidding through the hangar before slamming into the wall on the far side. All kinds of alarms went off in the cockpit, but Anakin paid them no attention. He threw the doors open with the force. The hangar was mostly empty.

"Follow me" he ordered Rex and Ahsoka. They did, but not without an eye roll from Ahsoka. He knew that she wasn't okay with how rash he was being, but he still didn't care. He had to get Padmé.

They reached the elevator.

"Rex, can you find out where they're keeping Padmé?"

"No"

"Are you refusing my order?"

"Sir, I can't interface with this ship like a droid"

"Oh, right. I should've brought Artoo"

"Yeah, _Anakin_ ," Ahsoka said "We should have thought this through"

He sighed. "Maybe you're right, Snips. But we don't have time to argue. I'll try to find her with the force"

"Oh boy" Ahsoka said. Anakin ignored her and focused on Padmé instead. She was above them.

He pulled off his glove and pulled a few wires from his hand and connected them with the control panel. The elevator came down and he let Rex and Ahsoka go in first, and then he got in after them. He turned around to face the door.

They stood in silence for a few seconds before Rex broke the silence.

"Sir, what is our plan?"

"We go in, get Padmé, and get out"

"Sir, how are we getting out? we crashed the shuttle."

"I'll think of something"

Rex sighed and took off his helmet. "Ahsoka, you know I love you, right?"

"Yeah, of course. I love you too" Ahsoka said.

"Guys, do you have to do this now?"

"Yes, I'm not sure if I'll ever get the chance again" Rex said.

"This plan isn't that reckless"

"Anakin, this isn't even a plan" Ahsoka said.

"Now listen here, sni-" he heard the sound of plastoid hitting metal behind him. He turned around to see that Ahsoka had pushed Rex against the wall and had her mouth pressed to his. Rex, to his credit, seemed properly shocked that she was doing this with him in the room.

Luckily, the door opened and they broke the kiss. Anakin turned around and spotted his wife locked in a chair at the end of the room.

"Ani!"

He ran towards her, followed by Rex and Ahsoka. "Angel. We're getting you out, don't worry"

"General Skywalker" Count Dooku said from behind them. Anakin turned around and spotted the Sith with two magna guards on the balcony behind him.

"Rex, get Padmé out of that chair. Ahsoka, we should take him together."

Ahsoka ignited her sabers and stood next to him. Dooku sent his droids to Rex and Padmé, but Rex had already taken Padmé out of the chair and given her one of his blasters. The blue bolts hit the droids, but Anakin couldn't focus on their fight. Dooku had jumped down and was coming right at them.

He pushed Ahsoka into the wall with the force and shot lightning at her. She crumpled to the ground, and Dooku ripped a catwalk off the ship and threw it at her before he could react.

He saw red at this point. He charged at Dooku, who countered him easily. He charged again, vaguely aware that some of the blue light that was mixing with the red in the flurry of sabers wasn't his lightsaber but Rex's blasterbolts trying to hit the count.

One of the bolts hit Dooku and he failed a counter. Anakin's saber went through the count's wrists, slicing off both hands. Anakin caught the red saber in his free hand and brought both of them to the other man's throat.

"You have become more powerful in your anger" the Sith said "You should join the dark side"

"No," Anakin hissed "I'm not like you"

He lowered the blades.

"Rex, take him with you. Use his if you have to" he said, handing the clone the curved saber.

"Sir? why are you giving me this"

"I just had a feeling" he said, as he grabbed Ahsoka and put her limp body on his shoulders. She was still breathing. "let's go"

* * *

When they arrived back at the hangar, all the droids were evacuating. They could see Coruscant approaching fast. The ship was going down.

"This way" Anakin said as he tried to get them into a different elevator.

The door didn't open and the droids that were evacuating surrounded them.

"Don't move" one of them said.

They had no where to go. Anakin couldn't fight while holding an unconscious Ahsoka, Rex was holding Dooku, and Padmé wasn't good enough to take on a whole company by herself

"Rex, get us into that elevator" Anakin said.

Rex hesitated for a moment before igniting the red blade and cutting through the doors. Then, when the hole was almost complete, Dooku slammed himself into the Captains back with as much force as he could, dropping both of them down the elevator shaft.

Anakin screamed, threw Ahsoka at Padmé and caught both of them with the force. He could hold them both in place, but lifting them would be hard. He as already exhausted from the long journey from Mandalore and the previous fight. Then, he noticed that Rex was losing grip on the saber. The Sith was turning it around in his hand, aiming the blade to the captain's neck.

In an instant, Anakin pulled Rex up. He dropped the count in the process, but Rex was safely back on solid ground.

"Are you okay Rex?"

"I'm fine" he said "Thanks for saving me"

"No problem" Anakin said as the elevator arrived.

They made for the bridge. In the elevator, Ahsoka regained consciousness.

"What happened?" she asked.

"No time to explain. We need to crash land this ship" Anakin said.

"Oh joy, Looks like I just woke up for the dangerous part"

"Actually, this is probably gonna be the safest part" Rex said.

Ahsoka sighed, and the elevator pinged, signalling that they were on the bridge.

"Are you ready to do this, Snips?" Anakin asked.

"You bet I am"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading :) please tell me what you think


	38. The Mand'alor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Anakin, Ahsoka and Rex were rescuing Padmé, Obi-Wan is rescuing Satine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey so I got good news and bad news: I know where I want this to go now, so i have a final outline and I know how many chapters this fic will be now: 53
> 
> After that I'll end the fic and move on to other ideas I had for a while now because this fic has bascially been taking up all the time I can afford to put into writing. (Along with my time travel fix-it series. Go check that one out if you haven't yet)
> 
> I'm really thankful for the feedback I've gotten so far, and it's been a huge motivator to keep working on it even if I had to get up early a couple of times for it

On Mandalore, Obi-Wan was waiting for the 212th. He had told Bo-Katan about Anakin, Ahsoka and Rex running off to save ~~Anakin's wife~~ the Chancellor. She hadn't been pleased, but he had managed to convince the council that they needed to send the 212th to Mandalore.

The Star Destroyer dropped out of hyperspace and immediately started deploying it's gunships to bring troops and supplies to the surface.

"I hope these clones are up to the task" Bo-Katan said.

"They are, trust me" Obi-Wan said

At that moment, the first gunship touched down in front of them and Commander Cody came out.

"It's good to see you again, General"

"It's good to see you too, Cody"

Cody then turned to Bo-Katan and removed his helmet "It's good to meet you, ma'am. I am Commander Cody of the 212th battalion"

"It's good to meet you as well" Bo-Katan said, shaking Cody's hand.

"Now that we got the introductions out of the way, let's get to planning. We should really find out a way to get Satine out"

"I agree" Bo-Katan said.

"Sir? We received a broadcast message while we were landing that might be important" Cody said "Apparently, they're executing the duchess in a few hours"

"Then we have no time to lose" Bo-Katan said.

* * *

Obi-wan followed Korkie inside the palace. They had to hurry, so their plan was made up on the way there. The message Maul had broadcast was an obvious trap, but one Obi-Wan knew they couldn't afford not to spring. Their plan was to send Obi-Wan and Korkie inside to find Satine, while Death watch and the 212th mounted an assault from the outside.

So, now Korkie was guiding him through the palace. The young man had grown up here after his parents died and Satine's parents had raised him, so he knew the place like the back of his hand.

They were searching through the corridors when they heard voices behind them.

"I'm going to let them capture me" Obi-Wan decided.

"What, are you crazy?" Korkie said.

"You sound like Cody's force signature" Obi-Wan joked "I'll be fine"

"Your commander is clearly the one with common sense," Korkie said "I'll alert him to your plan"

"Do that. I'll Be here, with Maul probably."

Korkie nodded and ran off, just in time to get away from the other Mandalorians.

"Put your hands up" one of them said.

Obi-Wan raised his hands in surrender.

* * *

"They captured General Kenobi!"

Korkie came running back to where Bo-Katan and Cody were sitting, waiting for a signal from Obi-Wan.

"What?" Bo-Katan asked, but Cody just sighed and got up.

"Let's go find our General"

"You don't seem fazed by this at all" Bo-Katan noted.

"No, this happens quite often" Cody said as he inspected his blaster "Let's go"

Bo-Katan rolled her eyes but followed the commander.

* * *

Obi-Wan was brought into the throne room, and just as he expected, Satine was there. Maul was sitting on the throne, with Savage standing next to him and a few Mandalorian warriors guarding him.

"Your noble flaw is a weakness shared by **you** and _your Duchess_ " Maul said, as he started Choking Satine with the force, lifting her off the ground "You should've chosen the dark side, _Master Jedi_ "

He started walking towards Obi-Wan threateningly.

Then, the left side of the throne room was blown up and chaos erupted.

Obi-Wan focused on the Mandalorians that had been behind him, taking them out in one go.

When the dust cleared, Bo-Katan had managed to grab Satine and had taken off, hovering above the chaos, carrying her sister bridal style.

Cody, Korkie and a few clones had surrounded Savage, but Obi-Wan's attention was drawn away by someone screaming **_KENOBIIIAAARGHHH_**

He turned around to see Maul stamping towards him, anger coming off of the Sith in waves.

Obi-Wan just readied his lightsaber, and prepared to defend himself.

Savage kicked Cody aside and pushed Korkie through the window with the force, and then he advanced on Obi-Wan as well. He looked at both of the Zabraks. He could take them both, but he wasn't sure if he'd live to tell the tale.

Then, Savage was shot from above. He fell to the ground, a neon green gas seeping out of the blaster hole in his head.

Obi-Wan looked up. Satine was holding Bo-Katan's blaster, which was still smoking. Both of the sisters looked shocked.

He didn't have time to reflect on that. Maul was storming towards him, and Obi-Wan barely managed to hold his own against Maul.

The Sith's blows were furious, but uncontrolled.

Obi-Wan managed to deflect them, keeping on the defensive until he saw an opening.

And there it was.

He cut the Sith across the chest, horizontally this time. Maul's shocked expression faded quickly, as he sank to the ground. Dead.

Around him, Maul's former men surrendered.

And that's when Obi-Wan realized he was now the rightful ruler of Mandalore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading :)


	39. The Reveal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Obi-Wan tries to deal with his new position as Mand'alor, even though he doesn't want it. He also finds out more about Satine's past

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this chapter is entirely Obitine. this is my first time writning this pairing so feedback would be appreciated

"What was that about?" Bo Katan asked as they left the throne room

"I'm sorry. I'll resign as soon as I can without trouble" Obi-Wan promised. He really hadn't intended to become mandalore, but he had defeated Maul in single combat and that made him the rightful ruler now.

"You better. I didn't want an outsider on the throne, and then you showed up!"

"Bo, calm down. you can't expect him to think about our traditions in the heat of battle, and it did end the fighting" Satine said. Obi-Wan could tell that she was upset about it as well, but Satine's anger was much more controlled than her sisters. She was also still thinking logically and ~~as always~~ open to peaceful negotiation

"Of course you'd pick the _peaceful_ option, even if it meant giving Mandalore to the Jedi!"

"Bo, be reasonable. What else was he supposed to do? Let Maul win?"

"He should have left him for me"

"I was a little preoccupied," Obi-Wan said "But I have no intention of staying in charge"

"You better not!" Bo-Katan hissed "Mandalore should belong to real Mandalorians. Having a pacifist was bad enough, a Jedi is ten times worse"

"Bo, that's enough." Satine said, calmly but with a hint of anger now "This in unbecoming of a Mandalorian leader"

"Not nearly as unbecoming as getting pregnant accidently and letting our parents cover it up"

Satine suddenly lashed out and punched her sister square in the face.

Bo-Katan didn't even try to block it and stumbled backwards, clutching her face. Satine looked shocked by her own action as well, but before anyone could do anything, she ran away

"Bo-Katan, are you alright?" Obi-Wan asked

"I'm fine. Go worry about my sister instead" she said "She just startled me"

Bo-Katan was still clutching her face with one hand, but Obi-Wan figured that he better follow Satine anyway. Bo-Katan had probably had worse, even if Satine apparantly packed quite a punch.

Obi-Wan ran after Satine. She was already out of sight, but he used the force to follow her to one of the gardens outside of the palace.

"Satine," he said "are you okay?"

"No." she said, holding back tears

"I don't know why she said that" Obi-Wan said

"She's right, I'm the worst mother"

"Satine, what are you talking about?"

"I let my parents raise my child. I wasn't ready."

"Then you did the right thing" Obi-Wan said

"No, I was selfish. I should have forfeited the throne and raised him. But I was wanted to rebuilt Mandalore again after the civil war"

Obi-Wan didn't really know what to do. He hadn't known she had gotten pregnant at all. He remembered the most recent Mandalorian civil war. He and Qui-Gon had helped protect her from the insurgents and the bounty hunters they had send after her and they'd...

Oh.

_Oh._

"Who... who was the father?" Obi-Wan asked. He had to know now

"It's you" she said, almost apologetically

"I'm so sorry" he said. This time, it wasn't an expression of sympathy like usual. This time, it was a genuine apology.

"Don't be. it wasn't your choice"

"No, it was. If I hadn't been youg and stupid-"

"That was our choice. It's not like I didn't want that as well," she said "But keeping the baby was my choice. Even though I knew I wouldn't have enough time to raise him"

"Still, I should have stayed and been there for you"

"You didn't know. And Korkie grew up fine as my nephew"

Obi-Wan froze. Korkie was his son. He was a father. He had a grown son. Korkie would be around 17 now.

"Does he know?" he asked

"No, he thinks his parents died when he was young"

"Maybe we should tell him" Obi-Wan

"I don't know," Satine said "Maybe we should. But we should probably focus on who rules Mandalore for now"

"We should" Bo-Katan said from the entrance of the garden

Obi-Wan and Satine looked at her

"Satine, I'm sorry for what I said. That was out of line"

Satine sighed "I forgive you"

"Thank you" Bo-Katan said "I think the three of us should probably figure out what to do with Mandalore now"

"I think we should" Obi-Wan said

The discusion of his son ~~which still felt surreal to him. He had a son!~~ would have to wait until after they talked this out.

* * *

After they were done with the first week of negotiations, Satine had summoned him to talk to him and Korkie in private. Obi-Wan made his way through the palace. He know what this would be about. He and Satine had decided that Korkie should know the truth.

He reached the door to the lounge and took a deep breath before knocking. Korkie opened

"General Kenobi. It's good to see you" Korkie said

"Thank you, Korkie. But this is an informal meeting, you don't have to adress me like that"

"Then how should I adress you?"

"Uhm..." Obi-Wan said, unsure of what to tell him "We'll talk about that."

He sat down next to Satine.

"Korkie, it's time I told you about what really happened with your parents" Satine said

"Alright" Korkie said, sitting down across from them

"I... I don't really know how to start" she said

"It's okay auntie Stine. You can just be blunt"

"Well, I'm not actually your aunt. I'm your mother"

Korkie just sat there in silence.

"I know this is a lot to take in" Satine said

"It is. Why is General Kenobi here though?"

"He's your father"

Korkie just looked at Obi-Wan.

"I know this is a lot, and it took me by surprise as well." Obi-Wan said

"I'll need some time to get used to this" Korkie admitted

"We all do" Obi-Wan said "But we feelt like you should know"

"Thanks," Korkie said "I need some time alone"

"Of course" Satine said and Korkie quickly got up and left the room

"Do you think we did the right thing?" Satine asked

"Yes, he just needs some time to process this." Obi-Wan said "I do hope he'll let me be a part of his life now"

"Is the Jedi Order going to be okay with that?"

"I... Have been thinking" Obi-Wan admitted "If you still want me, I'd still leave the order for you."

"I do. But you have your own duties to attend to, and the republic needs you, just like Mandalore needs me"

"We can wait until after the war" Obi-Wan said, turning towards her.

"I'd like that" she said, turning towards him as well and ghosting her han near his cheek.

He took the hint and pressed his lips to hers. She kissed him back and everything felt right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading
> 
> A quick note on my mandalorian culture headcanon: Satine wouldn't have gotten in trouble with her people for prematerial sex or being a single mom, even though I heard somewhere that Mandalorians prefer to wait until they're married. The reason she would have gotten in trouble is for not spending enough time with her child. Being a good parent is is very important to them, so I headcanon that you're expected to give a child up for adoption if you know it'll be better for them (Like Satine did, shegave Korkie to her parents who had the time and resources to raise him, while she only had the resources)


	40. The Ring

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ahsoka and Rex both decide they want to propose. Fives finally learns to keep his mouth shut

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a bit longer. Enjoy

Ahsoka woke up next to Rex. They had been on leave since the last mission, when they'd rescued Chancellor Amidala. Anakin had been too preoccupied with taking care of her ever since, essentially taking over all household chores.

Ahsoka smiled to herself. It was nice to see Anakin get so excited over becoming a father. But it had made her think about her own future. She knew kids would be unlikely, clones weren't supposed to have kids. If they did, the Republic's gene pool would be ruined and people would spend the next couple of centuries worrying if they were related to their dates via their clone ancestors.

And kids would be too far in the future anyway. She wasn't even sure if she wanted them. She liked kids, but she had never considered having her own before. Jedi weren't supposed to have kids either. Not only were they a source of attachments, they could also lead to Jedi Dynasties and they wanted to avoid that. And even if she was no longer a Jedi, children would still be a thing of the future and not a part that she was sure would come to be. But that future would certainly include Rex. She knew what she had to do now.

She got up, got dressed and wrote Rex a message on her comm telling him that she was going to go shopping with Fives. Which was true from a certain point of view.

She then left the room, leaving Rex to sleep a bit more.

Once outside, she commed Fives.

"Fives, are you awake?"

"I am. What is it?"

"Can you meet me in the war room? I have a... uhm... mission"

"I assume this isn't really a military issue, since we're still on leave?"

"Yes, but we should keep this a secret for reasons that will become obvious after the briefing"

"Alright, sir. I'll come as quickly as possible. What type of gear do I need?"

"Civvies"

* * *

When Fives arrived in the war room dressed in his civvies, Ahsoka immediately closed the door behind him.

"Are you willing to keep this a secret?"

"Yeah, of course I am. I'm an ARC trooper"

"Yeah, but you're a blabbermouth. Are you sure you can keep this a secret?"

"Yes," Fives said, offering his hand with an outstretched pinky. "Pinky promise"

Ahsoka laughed "How did you know about those?"

"We try to pick up on the civvie stuff now"

Ahsoka hooked her pinky in his and gave his hand a shake to confirm it.

"I'm gonna propose to Rex"

"For real?" He asked excitedly.

"Yeah," she said "But I need your-"

"Would that legally make you my sister?"

"Kinda, but-"

"Are you gonna invite us to the wedding?"

"Of course, Fives, but-"

"Do you have a ring yet?"

"No, that's what I need your help with"

"Oh. What am I supposed to do?"

"I need you to come with me to try it on. I don't know his ring size"

"And I'd have the exact same size" Fives said, excitedly.

"Yeah, you're catching on"

"So... How does this work? I have no idea where one would get a ring. We should probably ask Senator Amidala"

"Oh no," Ahsoka said, shaking her head "She has expensive taste, and I can't afford that."

"How much would a small piece of metal cost anyway?"

"According to _tradition_ , two months salary"

"Is that a lot?"

Ahsoka just laughed.

"I'll take that as a yes?"

"Yeah, the idea is that you show that you're rich enough to afford such a massive blow to your income. But in my case, two months income is all I have"

"Yeah, that's fair. And the ring would be..." Fives checked his datapad "four times as expensive as he is"

She punched him in the arm "Fives, you're a terrible person for saying that"

"I can say it, I'm a clone"

Ahsoka sighed. "let's just go to the jeweller and get a ring"

* * *

"Welcome, how can I help you?" the Twi'lek woman behind the counter asked.

"I'm looking for a ring" Ahsoka said.

"Okay, what price range?"

"Under 500 credits" she said "But it has to be sturdy"

"Are you looking for a plain ring, or a one with gemstones?"

"Plain" Fives said.

"But it won't look like an engagement ring if it's just a plain band" Ahsoka said.

"Why not?" Fives asked.

"Plain bands are supposed to be exchanged during the wedding itself"

"Rex is going to care more about if he can wear it under his gloves than he's going to care about a tradition" Fives said.

"We have rings that have gems that don't stick out too much." The woman said "Do you know the size?"

"I have his brother here, he should be the same size"

"I don't think it's going to work like that" the lady said "Unless they're identical twins"

"We're clones" Fives said dryly.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. I've never seen clones without a helmet." she said.

"It's okay, no worries." he said.

"I'll help you pick out something" she said as she guided Ahsoka to the ring section.

* * *

A few days later, Rex got a text from Ahsoka on his comm as he and his brothers where getting ready to head to 79's.
    
    
    Hey, I'm stuck at the temple. Skyguy messed up again and I have to help clean up this mess before Obi-Wan finds out. You guys should go to 79's without me"

Rex smiled to himself. Normally, he'd be disappointed that she wouldn't be joining them. But today, it would be convenient. He had to ask his brothers for advice on something important.

"Guys, Ahsoka can't make it too 79's tonight" he told them.

Several of them made disgruntled noises, but he didn't care. He quickly inspected his bracers, mostly out of habit. They hadn't gotten dirty since the last battle, and with the war dying down he might not even have to wear them again. Still, he put them on along with the rest of his armour to go to 79's

When they arrived at 79's, he made sure he got a booth with his closest brothers.

"Why can't we just go to the bar?" Jesse complained.

"I have something important to discuss with you guys, and we have to do it now because Ahsoka isn't there."

"Are you keeping secrets from her?" Tup asked.

"It's not exactly a secret. I just want it to be a surprise"

Now he had their attention.

"Don't tell me you're thinking of proposing" Fives said.

"I am" he admitted.

"No way!" Fives exclaimed.

"Have you talked about it with her?" Kix asked.

"No, it's supposed to be a surprise, right?" he asked.

"I don't think you should just propose without at least discussing it beforehand" Tup said.

"He's still right though." Echo said "A proposal is only supposed to be a partial surprise"

"Since when are you the expert on proposals?" Jesse asked.

"I read a book on them while recovering from the Citadel incident"

"Of course you did"

"Well, then you might have some advice. I'm supposed to get her a ring, right?" Rex inquired.

"Well, that's tradition on Coruscant. But you'd also be expected to spend two months income on that ring, and Ahsoka doesn't seem like the type to like such... Boastfulness"

"How is proposing boastful?" Rex asked.

"The idea is that you waste a lot of money on a ring to prove that you're rich enough to waste that much money" Fives explained.

"How did you know that?" Echo asked.

"I... Uhm... Borrowed your book?" Fives admitted.

Rex wasn't entirely convinced but he decided to let it go. "I agree. I don't think Ahsoka would want me to spend literally all the money I have on a piece of metal"

"No, she wouldn't" Fives said, smirking.

"Maybe you should do what Togruta usually do" Tup offered.

"And that is?" Rex asked.

Tup just shrugged.

"That's not going to work," Echo said. "He doesn't have montrals"

"Why would I need montrals to propose?" Rex asked

"Well, you'd have to make her an Akul teeth headdress and you'd have to kill the Akul yourself." Echo explained "But that's going to be practically impossible if you don't have passive echolocation. And you'd need a hunting permit, which is rare to get for outsiders. And you're supposed to kill them by exhausting them and then killing it with a hunting knife. Humans are good persistence hunters, but not as good as Togruta."

"Any other hat related ideas?" Jesse asked.

"Yeah, on Cato Neimoidia, you're supposed to get someone a fancy hat. But it's a seppie planet neither of you have any good memories of"

"Yeah. Do you have any more hunting related ideas though? I do like the idea of hunting something for her"

"Ewoks feed their intended their most impressive kills"

"I hope she likes to eat droids" Tup snickered.

"Well, you could kill another one of those Eels" Fives joked, pointing at the handprint on Echo's chest "Just don't use us as bait again"

Fives sighed, remembering what happened Cutup. He had expected to be able to deal with it with gallows humour like they usually did, but it still didn't feel right.

"Don't worry" Rex said, putting his hand on Fives' shoulder "I won't do that again. There are other ways to propose other than using her friends as bait for a giant sand worm."

"Yeah, that's a really bad plan" Jesse said "Please, sir. Don't ever do that"

"Don't worry, he won't have to." Echo said. "There are plenty of other options. Twi'lek's offer their special someone something to put on the Kalikori for when they have children. I know it's irrelevant since it's a Twi'lek custom, but the thought of offering to be included in her future is cute"

"Yeah. I don't know about kids though. We probably can't have them anyway. Considering my vasectomy"

"Fair." Kix said. "IVF or reversing the vasectomy might be an option. I could do the last one for free if you'll let me borrow the little biter"

"What for?" Tup asked suspiciously.

"Babies are cute. And what's wrong with wanting to watch my baby niece or nephew?"

"Sure, if we ever get kids I'll let you babysit. Can we change the subject though? I'm not exactly comfortable with discussing how Kix might end up putting his scalpel anywhere near... you know"

"Good point" Kix said "I mean, you won't feel a thing. I know how to anes-"

"Kix, enough" Rex ordered "Echo, what else have you got?"

"Gamorreans challenge the father of their beloved to shirtless mud wrestling" Echo said "They can only propose if they win"

Tup, Jesse and Kix were snickering. Fives wasn't even trying to hide his laughter.

"She was taken in by the order at three years old. I doubt we could find her father" Rex said, deciding to entertain this idea for the sake of keeping the subject away from kids and related procedures.

"Actually, the Jedi keep this information in their archives." Echo said "You could just ask Skywalker to get the information"

"Or you could mud wrestle Skywalker instead" Fives teased.

They all laughed at the idea, but Rex still needed an actual plan for once.

"Guys, I do need an actual plan. And not something from another culture that neither of us is from"

"Well, you'll kind of have to. The Jedi don't allow marriage unless your species is at risk of extinction. And even then it's just supposed to be a legal contract with no attachments. Though they are known for either turning a blind eye or just turning incredibly stupid if you happen to be the chosen one"

"Well, I'm not the chosen one. Does Kamino have any culture outside of the cloning facilities that I could use?"

"Nope. They'll just test you for genetic defects to see if you're fit to reproduce. And Commander Tano won't be good enough"

"What's wrong with her?" Rex asked.

Kix sighed "she most likely has some small genetic defect or a defective recessive gene somewhere. Pretty much all nats do. Usually it's no big deal to anyone but the Kaminoans, but they've spent three months cleaning up your DNA from Jango Fett's astigmatism, minor Tooka allergy and increased chance for developing breast cancer. I doubt they'll be okay with muddying their good work with someone's randomly assorted DNA"

Rex sighed "Who gives a crap about what the Kaminoans think"

"Good point sir. What about Mandalorian tradition?" Jesse offered.

"No, that won't do" Rex said "There isn't really an engagement period or wedding on Mandalore. Just some vows you can say in front of a witness"

"Well, if you want to keep it simple..." Tup offered.

"She doesn't speak Mando'a. And I don't feel comfortable asking her something if she has to rely on translation. Maybe if she learned to speak it well enough, but I'm not going to make her learn Mando'a just so she can marry me. We'll have to find another way"

"Rex, I wouldn't worry about it. I have a feeling this will sort itself out. And I'm force sensitive, so you should listen to my gut on this one"

"Alright," Rex conceded "And we'll have plenty of time. Which is why I want to propose now. We can have a future together now"

"It's a nice thought." Jesse admitted.

"To the future" Tup said, raising his glass.

"To the future" they all agreed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also I kind of wanted to work this into the fic, but I couldn't find a good place to puut it. But the whole 2 months salary rule is a real world thing appearantly, and it was started by De Beers Diamond Corporation as an ad campaign to sell more diamonds, a stone that their own chairman called "intrinsically worthless"
> 
> So long story short, actual engagement rings are a scam and there are better things to spend two months salary on
> 
> Sorry for the rant. I just thought people should know in case it's helpful


	41. The Rank of Master

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anakin talks to Obi-Wan about what happened on Mandalore.
> 
> Then he talks to Ahsoka about being denied the rank of master

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if this chapter isn't up to my usual standards. I'm not doing too well due to the quarantine

The beeping sound of his commlink shook Anakin from his now pleasant dreams. He scrambled to put on his robes so he'd be at least a little presentable before taking the call.

"Anakin Skywalker here" He said as he picked up the call in the middle of the living room.

"Hello Anakin. How are you holding up?" Obi-Wan said. He looked tired.

"I'm doing well. Everything is looking up here. Are you alright?"

"Honestly, things could have been better. Things have... Escalated"

"Without me?"

"Yes, _Anakin_. I... we need to have a serious talk"

"Is it that bad?"

"I wouldn't say _bad_ , it's just... Anakin, do you remember what I told you about my feelings towards Satine?"

"Yes, of course. How could I forgot. Let me guess, you managed to rescue her and decided to move to Mandalore to move in with her?"

Obi-Wan glared daggers at him, but then he sighed. "Yes"

Anakin couldn't believe it. "For real?"

"Yes, I've decided to leave the Jedi order as soon as the war is over."

"Wow, what made you change your mind?"

"It turns out I have a son"

"Oh, now I want the whole story."

"We'll talk about it when I come back to Coruscant to get my affairs in order. I feel like the details shouldn't be discussed over holocomm"

"Just the short version?" Anakin asked.

"Very well" Obi-Wan said reluctantly. "Korkie is my son. We did a paternity test just to be sure. I didn't know until today. It's... been a lot to take in."

"I understand. So you're going to rule Mandalore with Satine now?"

"We haven't decided on that yet. I accidentally became the rightful ruler of Mandalore after I killed Maul in single combat."

"That's interesting. What's going to happen now?"

"I'm still in negotiating with Satine and Bo-Katan. We're currently trying to figure out how we can keep Mandalore pacifist enough so no one has to be forced into violence, yet still well... Mandalorian enough."

"How are you going to do that?"

"Well we're currently discussing a way to allow duels as long as both parties consent to it. The winner will have to provide proof that the other person consented to the duel. Otherwise it will be treated as an illegal fight, and criminal charges will be files. We're still working out the details."

"Alright I'm going to hang up now. Call me when you get to Coruscant so we can talk about the juicy details of your love life instead of politics" Anakin said.

"Anakin, I-" Obi-Wan said but Anakin cut the connection.

He smiled to himself. He was honestly happy for Obi-Wan.

He went back to bed and cuddled up to Padmé.

"What was that about?"

"Obi-Wan called to tell me he's finally leaving the Jedi Order for Satine"

Padmé smiled "That's good to hear. Although the timing is terrible"

"How so?"

"I felt like we needed better communication between the Senate and the Jedi Order. I was going to ask him to be my personal representative on the council when he got back"

"Why Obi-Wan?" Anakin asked "Why not me?"

"Because I wanted to spare you from having to deal with politics. I know you don't like-"

"I'll do anything for you" he interrupted "And I wouldn't mind a job that involves us talking more often, even if it's about something as boring as the council"

"Okay then" she said "I'll put the request through"

* * *

Anakin stomped through the corridors. He had just discussed becoming the Chancellor's personal representative with the council, and they had given him a seat on the council.

But not the rank of master.

He had been given extra responsibilities, but not the rank he deserved.

He was the hero with no fear. He was the chosen one. He had won so many battles for the Republic. Why wasn't he given the rank of master?

He angrily called Ahsoka to rant to her.

"Commander Tano here"

"Ahsoka! I just talked with the council, and they wouldn't give me the rank of master!"

"Damn, that sucks. Why?"

"I don't know! Mace Windu is just being a prick again."

"He's probably jealous that you're more popular with the public" Ahsoka offered.

"Do you really think so?" he asked.

"Honestly, I don't know. I kinda doubt that he cares about public perception that much, but I know the public likes you for a reason. And the council can be stupid, no offence. Aside from you, Obi-Wan and Master Plo, none of them have given me an actual apology for what happened to me. I've let it go now, but I understand why you're upset"

"How could you let that go? They almost killed you" he snarled, getting even angrier as he remembered her trial and everything that happened around it.

"Well, when Rex and I were living together afterwards, I realized that my anger was only harming me and it wasn't helping me in getting an apology. They weren't worth my energy. So I let go and-"

"And you forgave them. Just like the Jedi taught us. I know, I just-"

"I didn't forgive them. I just stopped caring. Master Windu can choke on a bag of droid dicks for all I care, but I'm not going to spend my time trying to find him a bag if you know what I mean"

"So you're still angry?" he asked.

"Kinda" she admitted "but most of the time I just don't think about him at all. I have more important things to focus on"

"Like what?"

"Well, the council just gave me and Rex orders to go to Utapau. They said that you stormed off before they could brief you on that mission. But even if I didn't go to Utapau, I could still do more important things than thinking about Master Windu. Like memorizing the fingerprints of the 501st so I can tell them apart in the rare even that they're not wearing gloves, all have recent armour replacements and I somehow lose the ability to use the force"

Anakin snickered at that "I suppose you have a fair point there. Why didn't they send me to Utapau?"

"They had already gotten Padmé's request. Are you going to be okay without me?"

Anakin thought about it. He was going to miss her during her deployment, but he still had Padmé and the kids (even though they weren't born yet, he'd already do anything for them.

"Yeah, I'll be fine." he said. He meant it.

"Okay, talk to you later, Skyguy" she said before she hung up.

Anakin closed his comm. Ahsoka was probably right. Windu wasn't worth his time. He'd just quit the Jedi order as soon as the war was over and live with his family, and everything would be alright.

But for now, he had a chancellor to represent.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading


	42. The Engagement

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Title should be obvious what this is about
> 
> Ahsoka engages Grievous in combat obviously ;)

Ahsoka gritted her teeth as Grievous's sabers slammed into hers. She immediately disengaged and jumped up, avoiding the other two blades that slashed into the floor where she had been a split second ago.

Around them, the battle was raging on. Her men were fighting the droids around her, but she couldn't pay attention to how they were doing now. Grievous was much harder to fight than she had anticipated. Clearly, he'd only been playing with her the last time they fought on that listening post. She could still feel Rex sticking close to her, probably because he'd been there with her when she survived that.

Grievous started spinning his blades at her and tried to push her close to the edge of the cliff.

Then, several things happened very quickly.

Two blue blasterbolts hit Grievous' left wrists.

Grievous looked in the direction the bolts came from, and spotted Rex.

Rex was shot in the back by the commando droid he'd been exchanging blasterbolts with before he'd turned around to try to save Ahsoka.

At the same moment, Ahsoka jumped up and attacked Grievous.

He tried to block her attack, but she swung at him with her saber, cutting both hands off in one movement.

She then cut his head off with her other saber before landing on his chest.

The bacta mixed with blood dripping from his neck confirmed her kill.

She didn't stay there for long. She immediately got up and jumped at the clanker that shot Rex, slicing it in half without a second thought.

Then, she turned around and hurried over to Rex.

"Rex! Can you hear me?" she asked.

He was face down on the ground, but he gave her a groan that confirmed he was alive. She immediately opened her comm to the open GAR channel.

"I need a medic! Rex is down!" she said, before transmitting her coordinates.

Kix came running over a few moments later.

"What happened?" He asked.

"He got shot in the back" she said.

Kix pulled out his scanner and moved it over Rex's back

"His spine is intact, but he's hit in the lung. We need to medevac him as soon as possible. I'll stay with him"

Rex started to try to get up.

"Rex, stay down Vod" Kix said "Just because your spine is fine doesn't mean you can just get up"

"I need to talk to Ahsoka" he said as he turned around and sat up.

"No Sir, you don't. You need to be put in a bacta tank"

"I need to... ask her..." he got out before he drifted into unconsciousness

"Rex, stay with me!" Ahsoka begged.

"Ahsoka? Will you..." he got out before his head sagged backwards.

Kix grabbed Rex and prevented him from falling backwards.

At that moment, the medevac arrived. Ahsoka helped Kix carry Rex aboard the gunship and then got off before they took off. She still had a battle to win.

* * *

After all the droid were turned into scrap, Ahsoka ran to where the gunships were taking the less severely injured back to the Resolute. The first one she spotted had Jesse, Fives, Stitches, Dices and four clones she didn't know that well.

"Can I come too?" she asked Fives.

"Aren't you supposed to stay behind to organize our retreat?" Fives asked.

She turned to Jesse "Can you take it over?"

"Uhm... Why?" Jesse asked.

"Rex got shot. I want to check up on him, and see what he wanted to say before he passed out"

"Well... I'm technically wounded... so..." Jesse said, showing her his wrist.

She noticed that Fives started grinning, but he kept his mouth shut so she ignored it.

"Can you take over if I fix it up for you?"

"Sure, Commander" Jesse said.

She unwrapped the bandage one of the medics had put on him and got to work, pouring some of her last energy into the cut. She knew she shouldn't be exerting herself like that, but she really wanted to know what Rex had to say.

"Thank you sir" Jesse said as he got out of the gunship and let her take his spot.

"No problem Captain" she said as she grabbed the strap.

As the gunship took off, Fives shot her a look.

"What?" She asked.

"Did you really just get Jesse to do the whole retreat for you?"

"Yeah, he'll do pretty much do anything to avoid getting sown back together in the medbay. He really hates stitches"

"Hey!" Stitches said, pretending to be offended.

Ahsoka just stuck her tongue out at him.

* * *

When they landed in the Resolute's main hangar, Ahsoka started running to the medbay, closely followed by Fives.

"Why are you following me?"

"I want to check in on Rex too. He's _my_ brother"

"That doesn't really say much, almost everyone is your brother here" she said, fully aware that she was most likely the only nat on the ship at this moment.

"Yeah, but still. I wanna know what he wanted to say too"

"Why are you so invested?" She asked as she rounded the last corner.

"No reason" Fives lied.

Ahsoka just rolled her eyes and knocked on the door and Kix opened.

"Commander. It's good to see you. You're here for Rex I assume?"

"Yes. Is he awake?" she asked nervously.

"Yes, and we didn't have to put him in a bacta tank. Just a patch with extra bacta and tape to keep it all in. Just be careful with him, if you move him the wrong way you might rip off the bacta patch and then I'll have to start over"

"Of course. Have I ever not been careful with him?"

"Judging by his uhm... _off duty injuries_... Yes." Kix said drily.

"Off duty injuries?" Fives asked.

"Nothing major. Just the occasional bruise or sprained muscle that I find during checkups. And sometimes bites" Kix said, staring Ahsoka down.

"If he's not complaining, you shouldn't either" she argued.

"They're annoying to clean if you break the skin" Kix said, but he let her in the medbay.

She followed Rex's signature to his bed, where he was propped up against a pile of pillows, in new blacks, reading something on a datapad.

"Rex! You're okay!"

"Ahsoka!" was all Rex could get out before Ahsoka practically jumped on him and kissed him full on the mouth.

"Commander, what did I tell you about being careful with my patient?" Kix asked as he came running after her, closely followed by Fives.

"I'm fine, Kix" Rex said as he pulled Ahsoka towards him and let her snuggle up to his side. "I hadn't expected you to be here so soon. What about getting the troops back on board?"

"I bribed Jesse to do it for me" she admitted "I just really wanted to know what you had to ask me before you passed out"

"So do I" Fives said, grinning.

Rex shot Fives an annoyed look but then he sighed and looked at Ahsoka, who was lying in his arms. "I suppose now is as good a time as ever"

He took a deep breath before continuing "Ahsoka, you've been by my side since the Battle of Christophsis. We've been through a lot together and now that there's a decent chance we might both survive this war, I've been thinking about the future a lot. And there is no one I'd rather spend mine with than with you. Ahsoka Tano, will you marry me?"

Ahsoka just stared at him and then she smiled.

Then, she put her hand in the small satchel she wore and pulled out a small box.

She held it up to him and opened the box. Inside it was a silver ring with a blue sapphire set in the band. "Does this answer your question?"

Rex smiled at her "It does" he said as he cupped her face and pulled her into a kiss.

She broke the kiss and slipped the ring on his finger.

"Congratulations! I'll give the two of you some privacy" Kix said as he pulled Fives away and closed the privacy curtains around them.

"I love you, Rex" Ahsoka said before kissing him again.

"I love you too" Rex said between kisses.

Soon, however, the exhaustion became too much for Ahsoka and she fell asleep in her fiance's arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. I hope it made the Quarantine a little better


	43. The End of the War

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rex tells everyone about his engagement, and receives some other good news

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for being a little later. I forgot to hit post. I'm kind of out of it due to the while corona stuff.

Rex woke up in his cot. The medbay was mostly deserted and the lights were off as usual and the few brothers that were there were asleep. Kix was no where in sight.

There was a note on his night stand. It was from Kix, and apparently Kix had discharged him but couldn't do it face to face due to "the news". Rex shrugged it off and started discharging himself.

He took off his shirt and started peeling off the bacta patch. The wound had stopped hurting a week ago, so he knew it had healed properly.

This patch came of a lot less easily than the one he had for the wound he got on Saleucami, since he was pulling this one from his back. But, it eventually peeled off, leaving him with the cold feeling of depleted bacta dripping down his back.

He did his best to feel the newly grown skin where the wound had been. It would probably end up similar to the pale scar on his chest. Bacta could work miracles on scars, but it wouldn't prevent all scarring. And he didn't mind the scars. He now had two "I almost died, but I survived" scars, which was nice. Much better than Cody's "this could have been fixed if we had had a medic and bacta but my idiot brother had to stitch it up and he didn't even do a good job with it, _Rex_ " scar. Not that Cody minded too much. Rex's work had been better than nothing and they could laugh about it now.

Rex decided not to shower, since that would irritate the newly exposed skin even more. And he'd showered yesterday. So he just wiped the bacta off and put his armour back on. The hole in the backplate was still there, he'd have to file a request for a replacement soon, but he wanted to go to the mess hall first.

He left his gloves off though, he wanted to wear the ring Ahsoka had given him. It would fit inside the glove, but he wanted everyone to see.

He knew that most of his brothers already heard about the engagement, but they probably didn't believe Fives without proof. It was Fives after all. And Kix had probably kept his mouth shut. So he'd still be able to announce it anyway.

He walked into the mess hall, mentally preparing himself to show the ring off. Ahsoka wouldn't be there, since she was busy. But she had said it was okay if he told his brothers without her.

He sat down with the usual vode, but to his surprise they didn't seem to notice that he was acting different. In fact, they were also smiling, talking excitedly with each other.

"Have you guys heard the news?" he asked.

"Yeah, of course we did. Why do you think we're so excited?" Jesse said.

"Don't you wanna see the ring?" Rex offered.

"What ring? What are you talking about?" Tup asked.

Rex just held up his hand to show off the ring. "Ahsoka proposed"

"No way!" Jesse said "Congrats!"

"Thanks" he said.

"So Fives was serious?" Echo asked.

"Of course I was? When have I spread false rumours that weren't true?"

"Do you want a list? It's in chronological order"

Fives just rolled his eyes.

"So when is the wedding?"

"After the war" Rex said "We figured it'd be better to wait until we have enough time to plan everything"

"So you haven't heard it yet?" Jesse said.

"Heard what?"

"The war is over."

"You're kidding"

"I'm not"

Rex looked around the group and none of his brothers looked like it was all some kind of joke.

He immediately looked at his comm, and there it was. And order to retreat all forces back to Coruscant. The separatist had done the same and peace had been established.

"I can't believe it..."

"They have been negotiating for a while now" Tup said "It had to go somewhere"

"How come I didn't know this?" Rex asked, baffled.

"Well, the news only came in this morning and you were still asleep, and you know I let my patients sleep in if they need it" Kix said.

"Yeah but still. I'm the commander. I should know this."

"You and Ahsoka," Kix corrected "And she's already on it. Why did you think she hasn't visited you this morning?"

"I just assumed she'd be busy"

"Yeah but she still made an effort to see you almost every day for the last two weeks. It's kinda gross, no offence" Kix said.

"None taken, I know we can be a bit much" Rex said.

"None taken?" Tup asked "Rex, he's a medic. His definition of gross is kinda... skewed"

"Yeah..." Echo said, remembering something that should not be shared in polite company judging by the look on his face.

"Well, I don't have time to be offended" Rex argued "We need to prepare to go back to Coruscant"

His brothers just nodded in agreement.

* * *

When the ramp came down and connected to the doors, Ahsoka grabbed Rex's hand. Rex had started to get nervous during the trip. He knew that the end of the war was a good thing, but he didn't know what it meant for him.

"It'll be alright." she told him, as the doors opened.

"I know I'll be. But my brothers... They... you know"

"Yeah... We'll figure something out." she said, remembering that while he was legally a normal human, his brothers hadn't been that lucky.

The doors opened and revealed Anakin waiting for them at the end of the ramp.

"Skyguy!" she said, before letting go of Rex's hand and jumping into Anakin's arms.

He hugged her back.

"How was Utapau?"

"You know, the usual. Rex got shot, but he's fine now"

Anakin let go of her and turned to Rex.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. And we did get rid of Grievous" Rex said.

"You don't feel fine" Anakin said. Ahsoka silently agreed.

"I'm worried about what will happen to my brothers now." Rex admitted.

"Legally, I'm not supposed to say anything, but I've found out what the plans are. So can you make sure the Republic doesn't find out I said this?"

"Of course, Sir." Rex said.

"There are a couple of plans, but you'll most likely be given a choice. You can either stay in the army and occasionally be sent out to help solve local conflicts, protect against pirate raids and all the other stuff the outer rim needed the Republic to do before we had a proper military. You'll probably be working with the droids though, they're planning on making the droid army their main force."

"What? why? What's wrong with us?" Rex asked, clearly offended.

"You guys are too expensive. They only plan to use clones for the hard missions. Droids make for better cannon fodder. Plus, the personhood bill is likely to pass, so..."

Rex's face lit up "For real?"

"Yes, but you're not supposed to know that. But you can also leave the army and start a family or something. That's what I'm doing"

"Oh, speaking off..." Rex said, before showing off the ring again "we got engaged"

Anakin's eyes widened in shock. "No way! I'm so happy for both of you! When's the wedding?"

"We haven't planned anything yet, but I wanted to ask you to walk me down the aisle." Ahsoka said.

"Of course, Ahsoka. I'm so happy for you" he said, as he pulled both her and Rex into a tight hug.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading, I hope y'all are staying safe and such


	44. The Celebration

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ahsoka and some of the clones go to 79's to celebrate the war ending and

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is a bit shorter than usual and I'm sorry for that. I'm bad with guessing how long a chapter should be

79's was really busy now that all battalions were on leave, but Ahsoka and the usual squad had gotten a nice booth anyway.

"So... When's the wedding?" Fives asked.

"We haven't planned anything yet" Ahsoka said.

Fives just turned to Rex instead. "Can I be the best man?"

"No." Rex said firmly.

"Why not? I was the one who got you two together."

"Yeah, but that wasn't exactly something we agreed with" he said.

"Are you complaining?" Fives asked, smirking.

"No, but we're still not going to reward you for all that stupidity from back then. Besides, I already picked Cody"

"Why would you pick him over me?"

"He's my batchmate. You'd pick Echo over me if you were the one getting married, don't deny it"

Fives just sighed.

"You're still invited" Rex offered.

"I know..." Fives said, before turning to Ahsoka

"Are you gonna have a best man too?" Fives asked Ahsoka.

"Nope." she said quickly.

"Why not?"

"Because you're asking" she said.

"Jerk" Fives said.

"So... What are your plans for after the war?" Tup asked, trying to change the subject.

"I want to go to medschool" Kix said.

"Why?" Tup asked "Don't you want to do something else than fixing up people?"

"It's going to be different. Since I'll be working on civvies"

"How so?" Echo asked.

"Far less routine checkups, different issues to expect, less blaster burns... And they're all different" Kix said.

"I'm outta here" Jesse said.

"Why?" Kix asked

"I uhm... Don't want to deal with the gross details" Jesse said as he practically bolted out the booth.

"What's gotten into him?" Fives asked.

"Judging by his force signature, he's interested in that Twi'lek over there" Ahsoka said.

"That blue guy?" Kix said, raising his eyebrow.

"Yeah" Ahsoka said, smirking.

"Is it mutual?"

"I think so... at least for now. But Jesse is definitely smitten, while blue guy is just kinda interested"

"Nice" Rex said.

"Still kinda rude to just cut me off when I'm talking about my hopes and dreams" Kix said.

"Shut up Kix" Hardcase said "No one wants to hear your gross stories"

"You're only saying that because you were the one who _fell_ on one of those blaster cartridges." Kix snarled back.

Hardcase mumbled something unintelligible into his beer and shut up.

"So, you're going to medschool. What do you want to be after?"

"I'm not sure. I could become a general practitioner or a surgeon. I had considered becoming an EMT, but I've had enough emergencies already. I'd prefer something less urgent"

"Makes sense," Ahsoka said before turning to Tup "What do you want to do?"

"I... I don't know yet" Tup admitted "I think I'll stay in the army until I see something else"

"I want to do something with kids" Hardcase said.

"Why?" Echo asked.

"They'll be fun. And since I can't get my own, I'll just get a job as a teacher or something" Hardcase said.

"I could-"

No, you're not offering him a vasectomy reversal too" Rex said, covering Kix's mouth with his hand.

"Did I miss something?" Ahsoka asked.

"Yeah, Kix offered to give Rex a vasectomy reversal in exchange for a nephew or niece" Tup said.

Ahsoka just glared at Kix.

"What?" he asked.

"You should probably discuss that with me as well. Since I'll be doing all the work" She said.

"I wasn't trying to do it behind your back. I was offering just in case it's ever necessary"

"Thanks... I suppose. I don't know if it will be necessary. I'm not sure what we're going to do yet. I think we'll both stay for now"

Rex nodded in agreement "We're in no hurry"

"We'll see how Skyguy does first" Ahsoka said.

"Yeah, has he gone public with you-know-who yet?" Rex asked.

"Yes, this afternoon." Ahsoka said "Padmé is starting to show now"

"Oh that sucks. But she's Chancellor now. How will that... work?" Hardcase asked.

"With the approval of the Senate, she can appoint a temporary replacement" Ahsoka said.

"How are the Jedi reacting to this?" Rex asked.

"It varies. Master Windu is being a dick about it" Ahsoka said "Obi-Wan is still on Mandalore-"

Rex just snorted into his drink "Don't tell me about it. I have to listen to Cody complain about the situation"

"Oh, do tell" Fives said.

"Basically, he's juggling Mandalorian politics and his new family and he's been kinda neglecting the 212th. Not in a bad way, they still have food and such. But they're basically walking around Mandalore unsupervised with no clue on what to do"

"Oh joy... what kind of things are they getting up to?" Kix asked.

"Most of it involves doing odd jobs for money and then spending that money on all sorts of things while still living off the GAR."

Fives just started laughing, but Rex turned to Ahsoka.

"Seriously, how is the General holding up?"

Ahsoka smiled.

"He's doing great. Happier than I've ever seen him" Ahsoka said with a smile.

"Even with the press on his heels?" Tup asked.

"Yeah," she said before she noticed a familiar force signature.

"Stitches?" She asked as she turned around.

"You finally showed up" Echo said.

"Yeah, I got bored and my blacks are full" he said, showing off his fully embroidered blacks.

"Looking good." Ahsoka said.

"You can do her dress next" Fives said.

Stitches looked Ahsoka over "That dress isn't good material. Blacks are barely doable, but this fabric is too tough"

"No, I mean her wedding dress" Fives said.

"Would you let me do that?" he asked.

Ahsoka blushed "I uhm... hadn't considered the dress yet. But If you want to"

"I'd love to. It makes it worth the effort of showing up" Stitches said.

"Alright, thanks" Ahsoka said.

They spend the rest of the night drinking and talking about the future, which, although uncertain, was definitely going to be better than the war they had lived through.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading


	45. The Baby

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A few months after the war has ended, Rex and Ahsoka meet the newest addition to the Organa Family and she looks familiar

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for being a bit late. I couldn't really get this chapter right and I figured being late would be better than uploading a chapter that doesn't feel right. But I'm basically just passing time until I can let the twins be born and the Wedding can happen. Also my neighbors are doing renovations and it's messing with my sleep schedule. Also Quarantine is getting to me as well :(

Rex sighed into his glass of unknown fancy alcohol. He, Fives and Ahsoka had been invited over by Senator Organa and his wife, Queen Organa, for a dinner party that was being held to discuss the future of the clones. Fives had told them he had met the queen before at that party with the senators, and Rex knew that he and some of the other men had volunteered their time in case any of the Senators wanted to ask them for advice, and Ahsoka had probably been invited because she used to be a padawan and knew Senator Amidala.

At least Senator Amidala was there, though she wasn't talking to them often and didn't sit near them. He had ended up near Senator Organa though.

"So, what accommodations do you think your men would still need?" Senator Organa asked.

"Well, I'm glad we can keep living in the barracks and that we're allowed to pursue other jobs and studies, but I think we'd still need some help with learning how to function normally. Ahsoka and I moved out a few weeks ago, but we still haven't gotten the hang of living by ourselves. Some kind of help would be great. It's still a bit weird to rebuild with nothing to our name after putting in so much work for the republic"

"I agree, but sadly the republic can't afford to pay you what you deserve. The war was way too expensive and we have trouble rebuilding as it is"

Rex just nodded in agreement. It was unfair, but probably the only way. And the republic had paid for his existence already and he and his brothers were free now, and he was happy with that.

"We'll do whatever we can to thank you for fighting for the republic though"

"Thanks, Senator" Rex said "What's going to happen to the clones that never fought for the republic though?"

Some of the other Senators looked at him in confusion.

"My younger brothers" Rex said, before pulling out a holo of one of his baby brothers. The holo was taken in the infant room without permission for Ahsoka after she asked what the clones looked like as babies, years ago. The small, dark haired infant was lying in his arms, pressed gently to his significantly shinier armour.

The Kaminoans were still taking care of them, though the production has ceased. There were no shinies coming in, since the shinies they had gotten were technically still cadets and the current cadets were still finishing their training. There would probably be a change of plans once the senate decided what would happen, but the senate was slow.

"We... don't know..." Senator Organa said, staring at the infant in disbelief.

"Well, they should be accounted for somehow, even if they are too young to have seen actual combat" Rex said.

"Of course" Bail Organa said "We could probably pay the Kaminoans to uhm... make sure they all grow up normally and learn life skills. We'll try to set up some kind of course for the older ones"

"That would be good. The kids might also want to live somewhere else, since the Kaminoans aren't the best parents"

"We'll see what we can do" he promised "Can I ask you to stay a little longer though? There is something I want to discuss."

"Of course," Rex said "What is it about?"

"Something a bit more personal" he said, and Rex decided not to press the issue and instead focus on today's negotiations.

* * *

After the party was over, he, Fives, Ahsoka and Senator Amidala had stayed behind. Senator Amidala had driven them there,she'd insisted since she couldn't drink anyway. There was no denying her pregnancy now, even if she was really good at hiding it. Rex knew she was almost due now logically speaking, but she still looked like she was only five months along

"So, what did you want to discuss, Senator?" Rex asked.

"Could you show us that hologram again?" he asked.

Rex pulled out the hologram again and the queen immediately put her hands on her mouth.

"What's going on?" Fives asked.

"We recently adopted a girl, Yavi. She looks just like that baby clone" she said.

"She does" Senator Amidala said.

"And since the mother claimed to not know who the father is..." Senator Organa said.

"We clones are infertile" Rex said "The Republic wanted to ensure we didn't mess up the gene pool, and the Kaminoans like to uhm... keep it copyrighted"

"Still, I'd want to make sure," Organa said "Just in case it's ever relevant. For medical history, or in case she starts growing twice as fast."

"Alright," Rex said "I'd be willing to provide a DNA sample to test with. Would... Would I be allowed to see her if it comes back that she's half clone? I'd love to meet my niece"

"Yes, of course" he said "We could bring her out now"

"I'd love to see her" Fives said excitedly.

"I'll see if she's awake" the queen said before leaving the room.

"I'm sorry if Fives is being a bit... forward" Rex said apologetically.

"It's no problem" Organa assured him "We know he's not one of the most calm men in the GAR"

Rex relaxed a bit. He still wasn't used to the new situation. It had been a few months and the republic still hadn't done much (which honestly made him understand why no one seemed to really like the republic that much). Senator Amidala had gone on maternity leave, and that had slowed all the negotiations too.

Since then, he had been on several of these gatherings and he and Ahsoka had started planning the wedding slowly but surely.

The queen came out holding a small baby, and Rex realized that they were right.

"She does look like us" Rex said.

"Do you want to hold her?" she offered

"If that's okay" Rex said

As he was handed the baby, she started to wiggle a bit, but she calmed down quickly. Ahsoka and Fives came closer too, to look at the infant.

"She's adorable" Ahsoka said.

"She is." Rex said.

"Can you make me one of those?" Fives asked.

"No!" Both he and Ahsoka said at the same time.

"Why not, she's adorable" Fives said

"But she's also a lot of responsibility" Rex argued.

"And a lot of work" Ahsoka said.

"Yeah but Rex can let you take a break" Fives said, poking Rex with his elbow.

"Did you skip basic biology?" Ahsoka asked "Not everyone is grown in a jar"

"Okay fair but look at her" Fives said.

"We're not having one" Rex said.

"Not until we're financially stable" Ahsoka said, rolling her eyes.

"Do you know anything about her bio-parents?" Ahsoka asked.

"Her mother gave her up for adoption shortly after giving birth" Senator Organa said "All we know was that she was a Coruscanti citizen and human"

"She probably had light skin" Rex added "She's a little paler than we are at that age, and her hair is a little lighter too. And the eye colour obviously"

"Yes, she has beautiful blue eyes" Ahsoka agreed.

"Thank you for showing her to us" Rex said as he handed the baby back to her father.

"Thank you for agreeing to the test" the Senator said "We'll talk about the details of the DNA test later, it's late and the four of you should probably head home soon"

"Yes, Thank you for hosting this, Bail" Senator Amidala said.

"Thank you for showing up even during your maternity leave" he said.

"It's no problem" she said "This is important too"

They all said their goodbyes and went back to the barracks.

* * *

Later that night, Rex cuddled up to Ahsoka.

"Did you mean what you said about wanting kids if we can afford them?" he whispered into her montral.

"Yes, though I haven't considered the details yet. Maybe we'll have to adopt. I don't know if hybrids are a thing, or if that would be safe"

"Of course" Rex said "Just tell me when and I'll take Kix up on that offer"

Ahsoka laughed softly "Are you really going to trust him with a vasectomy reversal?"

"Why not? he wouldn't mess it up on purpose and he did get accepted into med school, so he'll learn much more than he would as a field medic"

"Yeah, fair. I wouldn't blame you for wanting a specialized surgeon to do it"

"We'll cross that bridge when we get there, cyare" he said before they drifted off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading


	46. The Return of Obi-Wan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Obi-Wan comes back

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that this one is a bit shorter, I didn't really want to cover the whole birth. Don't have the spoons for that after yesterday's episode (Which was season 7 episode 11 for those of you reading this far into the future)

"Obi-Wan is coming back" Anakin yelled out as he burst into the room.

Ahsoka just stared at him. Rex had a deer in headlight look as he started pushing Ahsoka off his lap.

"What were you guys doing?" he asked.

"Nothing yet" Ahsoka said "But Obi-Wan is finally back?"

"Yeah, he's only here to hand in his resignation and move out from the temple though" Anakin said "So hurry up, we have to go see him"

"Will Cody be there?" Rex asked.

"Probably not, but I'm sure he'll come to your wedding if you actually send out those invitations" the former General teased.

"We're working on it" Ahsoka said, rolling her eyes.

* * *

As the gauntlet landed in the space port, Ahsoka could feel Anakin brimming with excitement. Master Obi-Wan (if she could still call him that) had been gone for months.

"It's weird to think that we just left him there to fight Maul and then he found out he had his own family" Ahsoka said.

"Yeah, I'm not going to let him live that down" Anakin laughed.

"You're not any better with your new family" Ahsoka teased.

"Whatever, considering what you and Rex are doing according to Fives, it won't be long until you have your own little biters"

Rex turned scarlet at the accusation, but Ahsoka just rolled her eyes at him.

"Ever heard of doing it safely?"

Anakin smirked at her, but then the door of the ship opened and Obi-Wan walked out.

Something about him seemed different. He no longer carried the stress of war, and he seemed genuinely calm. Not the "trying to keep everything together" calm he usually had about him during the clone war.

Ahsoka ran towards him and threw herself into his arms, but she was met with the hard, metallic feel of a chestplate under his robes.

She rubbed her head where she had hit his pauldron.

"I'm sorry," Obi-Wan said "I should have warned you about the beskar"

"Sir, are you finally wearing actual armour?" Rex asked.

"Yes, Satine wouldn't let me leave Mandalore without it. She says it's important to uphold the uhm... less violent Mandalorian traditions"

"So how is Mandalore doing?" Ahsoka asked.

"Much better. Bo-Katan and Satine make the whole ruling together work, somehow. I'm still staying, of course, but not as a ruler. I'm just married to one" Obi-Wan smiled.

"How are you doing?" Anakin asked.

"Much better, I've really settled down and things are looking up. I'm enjoying my new life and I'm only here to visit and to finalize my resignation with the Jedi Order"

"I'm glad you're better" Anakin said, and then he nudged to Rex and Ahsoka "But you're better coming back for their wedding"

"You're getting married?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Well, We've been trying to, but planning is hard" Ahsoka admitted "Plus, a lot of government officials are scared to do it. If something goes wrong with Rex's status as a sentient being, they'll get in trouble for marrying us"

"I could do it if you want to? I legally can now."

"I think we'll take you up on that" Ahsoka said, looking at Rex for approval.

"That would help sir, thank you"

"I'm so glad to-" Anakin was cut off by his commlink beeping. "Sorry, this looks important"

"Padmé?" Ahsoka asked.

"Yeah" he said "Honey, what's up?"

Ahsoka could hear Padmé on the other line "Anakin, I'm in labor. Can you come to the hospital?"

"Of course, be right there" Anakin said, before turning around and addressing them "Sorry, I have to go"

"Of course, good luck!" Obi-Wan said as Anakin already ran back to his speeder.

"He hasn't changed much" Obi-Wan said.

"Yeah, I hope he'll at least calm down a little" Rex said.

"Me too" Ahsoka said "As much as I enjoyed the training he gave me, I'm glad I was 14 when I became his Padawan. I don't think I would have survived if I had been younger"

"I was talking about his tendency to throw people" Rex said dryly.

Ahsoka and Obi-Wan laughed about that.

"How is Cody?" Rex asked.

"He's doing well," Obi-Wan said "He's settled down on Mandalore, got a job as a martial arts instructor. Didn't he call you about that?"

"No sir. After I uhm... _died_ I was removed from the GAR comm system, so I lost the ability to contact anyone long range after the last scramble set update. We didn't have time to fix that"

"Oh, okay. I'll take your frequenency back to him if you want to"

"I'd appreciate that" Rex said.

"So, what are your plan for after the war, Ahsoka?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Get married and move out from the barracks, save up money from either our job here in the GAR or finding a new one and maybe have kids some time in the future" she said.

"Okay, that sounds like a good plan. Having a family is great"

"I hope so. Let's just see what happens now first" Ahsoka said.

"Yeah, besides, it might be more fun to watch the General first and learn from his mistakes" Rex joked.

"Yeah, let's just watch this drama go down and keep Child Protection on speed dial" Ahsoka said.

"Come now, we both know he has Senator Amidala to jump in" Obi-Wan chuckled.

They laughed, and then went back to the Jedi Temple to help Obi-Wan move his stuff out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. I am very tired and I hope some fluff helps a little after what we had to see on the actual show


	47. The Twins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rex and Ahsoka visit the twins

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for skipping last week. I'm not doing too well with the whole quarantine stuff. I also put my other fic on hold until after this one is finished

Rex followed Ahsoka into the post partum section of the hospital. She seemed to be excited to meet the babies, but he was just nervous. He had only been in a civvie hospital once and that was because he had gotten injured. He didn't have many memories of that anyway and this was a different part of the hospital.

"Ahsoka, are you sure this is okay?"

She stopped and turned around. "Why wouldn't it be?"

"This is a hospital. Are you sure we're allowed to be here?"

"They let us in. Why are you worried?"

"I... uhm..." He sighed. "I'm just not sure why they'd allow us in. If she's still in the hospital, she's probably in bad shape. I don't think we should be there"

"Rex, she'd only in here for observation. And it's normal, trust me."

"Okay" he said, and they continued down the corridor, as Ahsoka read the numbers next to the doors.

"So... How do I deal with natural born babies?" He asked nervously.

"The same as with baby clones I think. I don't see why it'd be different"

"Do I have to feed them?" He asked nervously "I'm a bit rusty on my baby skills"

"No, that's what parents are for"

"See? What if I make some kind of social blunder because I'm not used to how nats do these things?"

"Rex." she said as she stopped and grabbed his hands "They both know you're a clone. They'll understand, they're our friends"

"Ahsoka, they're my general and a senator. I have to maintain a professional relationship with them."

"What are you talking about?" she asked "Anakin is your friend"

"No, he's my General" he said.

"Rex, do you not want him as a friend or are you really that dense?"

"I... Uh... What?" he asked.

"Come on Rex. It's obvious that you're friends. At least as far as he's concerned."

"I mean... I didn't really consider that. Since when?" he asked, getting confused now. The Jedi were supposed to be their superiors, and he had always assumed that the Jedi hadn't been attached to them as friends. Not just because of the Jedi code, but also because they all knew this was temporary. He just didn't think about it if he was honest. But in hindsight, it made sense. Even if it kinda made sense in hindsight.

"I don't now, but he obviously considered you a friend on Christophsis"

"I... uhm... Didn't notice" he admitted.

Ahsoka rolled her eyes playfully "You two are both disasters"

Rex just stayed quiet.

"We're here" she said as she stopped in front of the door.

Before she could knock, Skywalker opened the door, holding a small bundle of blue blankets.

"Ahsoka, Rex! I'm so happy you showed up"

"Is that the baby?" Ahsoka asked.

"Yes, this is one of them. His name is Luke, the other one is with Padmé. Her name is Leia."

"Hi Luke" Ahsoka cooed.

"Do you want to hold him?" he offered.

"Yes, if that's okay." Ahsoka said, and the General handed her the infant. Rex's heart jumped at the sight, and he briefly imagined her holding a different child. One a little more tan and a little less bald, with the dark curls that all his brothers had at that age.

He quickly banished the image from his mind though. The baby he saw wasn't their child, it was one of his brothers. Their child would probably have a much stronger resemblance to Ahsoka, since hybrids usually looked like their mother a birth. Or at least that's how it works with Dalgo and Tee-muss hybrids, according to that farmer he trained on Onderon.

Regardless, they weren't ready yet. Still, it was cute to see her holding a baby.

"I'll get Leia too" the General said before walking off to the other room.

While Skywalker was gone, Rex held out his finger for Luke to grab.

"Hi there" he said.

Skywalker came back into the room with Senator Amidala and another baby, this one wrapped in a light pink blanket.

"This is Leia" he said as he showed Rex the other baby.

"Hi" Rex said awkwardly.

"Leia, this is your Uncle Rex and that's your Auntie Ahsoka"

Rex smiled awkwardly. Maybe Ahsoka had been right and he had just been an oblivious idiot. "Thank you, General"

"Rex you can stop calling me _General_. Just use my name. We're friends, right?"

Yeah, Ahsoka had definitely been right. "Of course, sir" Rex agreed.

"It took him a while to get used to calling me by my name." Ahsoka said, before jokingly adding "Now he does it every night"

"Ahsoka! There are innocent ears here!" Skywalker- no, Anakin yelled out.

"Relax Skyguy, they can't understand me yet anyway" she said.

"I was talking about me" he mumbled irritably.

Senator Amidala -who's name he wasn't going to use unless she gave him explicit permission- laughed at that, while both he and Skywalker stood there awkwardly. Ahsoka was still looking a little smug.

"So... I heard you guys were planning to get married?" the Senator asked Ahsoka.

"Yeah, once we have the money" Rex said.

"I'd be willing to help out with some of that if you need me to" she offered.

"You don't have to" Ahsoka said.

"I want to" she assured them. "It's the least I could do"

"Well, thank you Senator" Rex said.

"Padmé" she corrected.

"That's going to take a while to get used to" he admitted.

"Take your time" she said.

"Thank you, Senator"

After that, they talked a bit more about the children and the upcoming wedding, but eventually Amidala needed to rest again and they had to leave.

* * *

Later that night, while Ahsoka was in the shower, Rex decided to give Cody a call from his small desk in their shared quarters.

After a few dial tones, the small hologram sprang to life. Cody was wearing civvies for once.

"Comma- I mean, Cody here" he said awkwardly, clearly still not used to not being a commander anymore.

"Hey Codes. How are you?" he asked.

"Rex! It's good to see you again. How have you been?"

"Pretty great. I helped kill Grievous."

"I heard about that. Congratulations"

"Yeah, and I was thinking about getting married" he admitted.

"To Commander Tano?" he asked.

"No, I ditched her and now I'm marrying a battledroid I met on Utapau" Rex said, rolling his eyes as obviously as he could so Cody could see it clearly.

"Very funny," Cody said "When's the wedding?"

"I'll send you the date when we have it, but I wanted to ask you to be my best man"

"Of course, Rex. I can't wait. I can't wait to see you again. Living on Mandalore has been great, but I miss you"

"I miss you too, Cody. We should hang out soon"

"We should. But it's late here and Ahsoka is gonna need me tonight" he said as he noticed that the water had stopped running, which meant Ahsoka would be out of the shower soon.

"For what?" Cody asked, tilting his head.

"You know" Rex said.

Cody rolled his eyes. "Have fun"

"Thanks, I will"

Cody cut off the connection just as Ahsoka stepped out of the shower, a standard GAR issue towel wrapped around her even though she had a bathrobe.

"Who were you talking to?" she asked.

"Cody." he said "He has agreed to be my best man"

"That's nice," she said, already crawling into his lap "I'm so glad we can get married now"

"I know," he said, looking up at her as he slowly moved his hands up her thigh "I am too"

In response, she just kissed him and removed the towel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading I hope you guys are doing better than I am


	48. The Anouncement

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rex and Ahsoka have most of their wedding planned out and announce their intention to move out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is a little longer than last time, since I'm doing better. Also next week is my birthday so I'm excited for that even though I won't get any visitors

Rex stretched his back and got out of the small office chair. It had taken him hours upon hours, about fifty "How do I do this again?" calls to General Skyw- Anakin, ~~49 of which ended up getting redirected to either Kenobi or Amidala~~ and a few litres of caf, but he had bought a house. He and Ahsoka had decided on a three bedroom apartment near the barracks, but he had done most of the paperwork on it, only getting her signature when needed. They both hated paperwork, but Rex really wanted to do this right and he was better at it than Ahsoka. Not that she minded, she enjoyed the extra free time, even if she spend a lot of it babysitting the twins.

Now he just had to tell Ahsoka the deal was done and tell his brothers. He wasn't looking forward to that, he'd been putting off telling them. But he kinda had to tell them soon so they could mentally prepare for them moving out.

Tonight, at dinner would probably be the best option. But first, he sent Ahsoka a text telling her he got the paperwork done and that they could start moving their stuff now.

* * *

Rex took a deep sigh and walked up to the table he always shared with his brothers.

"Hey guys" he said.

They all nodded but kept eating. Ahsoka was there too, sitting between Jesse and Echo and eating her raw steak with her hands. She'd made him try it once but he never got the taste for it so they had already discussed that he'd be cooking his own food once they moved out.

"I have an announcement to make" Rex said.

His brothers looked up but Ahsoka just kept eating. She still looked up to see their reactions, since she knew what was coming.

"Ahsoka and I are going to move out." he said.

They fell quiet.

"You're what?" Jesse asked.

"We're moving out." Ahsoka added.

"Why?" Fives asked

"We wanted more space and more privacy" Rex said

"Plus, we're considering kids in the far future. We need to live independently first"

"Can't you do that here?" Tup asked.

"No." Kix said "I mean she can have them here if she feels more comfortable in the medbay, but we're not gonna like having an infant around. Trust me."

"Thank you, Kix" Ahsoka said "And yeah, the baby would need it's own room and a lot more peace and quiet than I can ask of you"

"But... But it's your job to supervise us, isn't it?" Hardcase sputtered.

"We bought a house a few levels down, it's a five minute drive and a 15 minute walk" Rex said "So we can still do our job"

"I thought you loved us" Fives complained.

Rex sighed "I do, you're my brothers. But I want to move on to the next stage of my life"

"Yeah. We'll still be here at least eight hours a day" Ahsoka said.

"When are you leaving?" Tup asked.

"After the wedding, so you'll still have a few more months to get used to the idea." Ahsoka said.

"Are you still going to keep the wedding here?" Jesse asked.

"Of course," Ahsoka said "And the date is still the same. We're just going to have our wedding night at our own place"

"Thank the force" Fives joked "I wasn't looking forward to having you drop your shields again"

"Sorry" Ahsoka said.

"Don't worry, I know it's an accident." he said "it's still annoying though"

"And when we move out I can be as loud and unshielded as I want to" she smirked.

Rex blushed at that, but he was also looking forward to that.

"Anyway, can I be your best man?" Fives asked in an obvious attempt to change the subject

"No." Rex said "Just like last time you asked"

"I still think I should be at least something" The disgruntled ARC Trooper protested "I was the one who got the two of you to admit your feelings to each other"

"By being a little shit" Rex said "Plus, I already asked Cody and you know that"

Fives sighed, rolled his eyes and turned to Ahsoka. "Are you gonna take me as your best man then?"

"I'm the bride" Ahsoka said.

"So?"

"I'm supposed to pick a female friend as my maid of honour"

"Ah, okay" Fives said "Have you picked someone yet?"

"No. Padmé is too busy being Chancellor and she has two babies, even if Anakin is staying home to take care of them."

"Don't you have any other female friends?" Jesse asked.

"Not really? I mean, I would consider Barriss but..."

The table fell quiet.

"What about her?" Hardcase asked with his usual tact.

"Well, she's still in prison for... you know"

"Oh... right" Hardcase said, remembering what had happened.

"Don't you have any other female friends?" Jesse asked.

"Well... I'm on good terms with Senator Chuchi, but we're not that close an it'll just draw more attention to how few female friends I have"

"Yeah," Rex said.

"Are you desperate enough to ask me?" Fives said.

"Depends on if you're cool with showing up in a dress" Ahsoka joked.

"Of course, Commander." Fives said.

"Well, it's a deal then" she said.

"Are you serious?" Rex asked.

"I mean I don't know who else to pick" she admitted "Besides, everyone on the guest list is either a clone or knows you guys well enough to know that Fives is an idiot"

Rex sighed "Okay, it's your choice" he said "But it seems like a bad idea"

"Welcome to the 501st" Jesse joked.

"Besides, now he's stuck with the wedding paperwork" Ahsoka said.

"Wait what?" Fives exclaimed.

"Being maid of honour isn't just perks, Fives. You have to help us plan now"

Fives shot Rex a confused look, but Rex just said "You're basically her second in command for wedding business now"

"Yeah, that's what the maid of honour and best man are supposed to do" Ahsoka said "You're supposed to help us set this all up"

"Okay, fine. I'll help" Fives conceded.

"So... what are the plans so far?" Fives asked.

"The GAR, and by that we mean General Skywalker, has offered to let us use the barracks. So we can use the large briefing room for the ceremony and the mess for the reception"

"Sounds good. I'll help too" Jesse offered.

"So will I" Tup said.

"I think we all will" Echo said.

"Yeah, of course we will" Hardcase added.

"Do you need something embroidered?" Stitches offered.

"Actually we might" Rex said "I was thinking of wearing that same dress uniform that I wore to that senate party and to the trial. You know, the one that has her markings on it."

"Yes, you still have that one?" Stitches asked, his eyes lighting up.

"Yeah of course. It's my personal dress uniform now. But Senator Amidala insists on getting her a dress so she won't have the matching Jaig Eyes."

"Okay, got it. Do you have the dress here?"

"No," Ahsoka said "I'm gonna go dress shopping with Padmé in a few days. I'll make sure to pick a fabric that's easy to embroider"

"I'd be okay with doing some slightly harder work too. It's your special day after all" he offered.

"I know, but silk is a bitch. It's used in anti piercing armour for a reason"

"Why would they use it in a wedding dress if it's used in armour?" Jesse asked.

"Because it's expensive and a lot of wedding stuff is overpriced" Ahsoka said.

"Yeah, we wouldn't have been able to afford it if we couldn't use our barracks as a wedding venue" Rex said.

"Yeah. And now we have something to do" Echo said "Honestly things have been boring since the war ended"

"Not for me" Jesse said, grinning.

"What do you mean?" Echo asked.

"I've been seeing someone." Jesse said.

"Who's the lucky girl?" Tup asked.

"Guy" Jesse corrected.

"Is it the blue twi'lek from 79's?" Ahsoka asked.

"It is. His name is Dile and we really hit it off. Originally I thought it would just be a temporary thing, but we clicked in more ways than one"

"So that's why you've been sneaking out of the barracks" Echo smirked.

"Can I be your best man then?" Fives asked Jesse.

"We're no where near ready to get married, and if I do I'll choose Kix"

"Echo?" Fives asked "Do you have plans to get married? You'll pick me right?"

Echo sighed "I'm single as a pringle Fives."

"Pringles come in cans of many" Hardcase said.

"Why are you that desperate to be a best man anyway?" Kix asked Fives "Are you getting starved for attention?"

"Maybe?" Fives said "To be honest, it's just sad to watch everyone leave"

"We're not going far" Rex reassured his brother.

"And I'm not leaving any time soon. Though I might sleep over at his place a bit more often" Jesse said.

"Be safe" Kix urged his batchmate.

Jesse just rolled his eyes.

"So anyway... tomorrow we're gonna start moving our stuff" Rex said "if anyone wants to see our new house they can come over"

"Sure, I'd love to see the new place!" Kix said.

"Yeah. I'm happy for you too, even though I'll miss you" Echo said before giving Ahsoka a side hug since that was all he could do without getting up.

"I'll miss you too" Fives said.

"Don't worry," Ahsoka said "We're going to keep our job here so we'll still see each other"

"We know, sir. But still." Hardcase said.

* * *

Ahsoka put down the box of stuff that she had taken from her old quarters in the Jedi temple in the living room. It had been in storage since she left him, but Anakin had finally managed to get it out of storage and back into her possession. She wasn't looking forward to unpacking all of it, but she still opened the box to look at the contents.

She froze when she noticed what was lying on top of her stuff.

A holobook named "Healing meditation for dummies"

Barriss had given her that book after the incident with Rex.

She sighed and sat down on the stack of boxes with chairs in them that neither she nor Rex felt like assembling due to the cryptic manual full of images that made Echo cry.

She missed Barriss. She still hadn't forgiven Barriss for what she'd done completely, but she understood why Barriss had bombed the temple. She was still not over being framed for it and almost losing Rex when he's picked her side over Fox's, but Barriss had a point that the Republic and the Jedi were in the wrong. Especially with hindsight, since the Chancellor turned out to be a Sith Lord.

A part of her wanted to talk to her. But she didn't know how. She had avoided keeping track of the trial because of the bad memories that came with it, so she didn't know what became of her former best friend. Maybe it was too late to reach out now.

"What's wrong, cyare?" Rex asked as he came into the living room from the kitchen with a screwdriver in hand.

"I found a book that Barriss gave me before... well, after that time you got burned"

"Ah, I remember that. I was so scared I'd get in trouble over it" he admitted.

"I know," she said "But that's not what this is about. I miss Barriss. Is that bad?"

"No, of course not. She was your friend"

"Yeah, but... You know"

"Yeah, but still. If you still miss her, you should reach out."

"I don't know if I still can" she admitted.

"If she was executed, we'd know by now"

"Fair. I don't know. She might have gotten life in prison without parole. Who knows?"

"Honestly I doubt she's been sentenced yet. The Republic has bigger war criminals to deal with right now, and they're not gonna do her or Ventress until after bigger fish have been dealt with"

"I know. We should probably check in on them soon."

"I agree. And if she'd in jail, she'll be guarded by the Coruscant Guard. I know ways to make then cooperate"

"Do you think Fox will listen to you?" Ahsoka asked with a raised eyebrow"

"They'll listen to Chancellor Amidala" he said.

"That's a good point" she agreed. "Okay, we'll contact Barriss soon. But first, we should assemble these chairs."

Rex sighed. "Yeah, we should"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading :D


	49. The Dress

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Padmé takes Ahsoka dress shopping and drags Anakin and Fives along.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's my birthday so I'm uploading this quickly and I'll also upload another chapter of my other fic :D

Ahsoka opened the door to the half finished apartment to find the mail had been delivered. There were some letters about power, fuel, water and a holonet connection and a letter from prison. They had received her request to get into contact with Barriss and it was... pending.

But that's the Republic. Slow and bureaucratic. At least it was still there. And it meant they'd at least consider her request, so it was progress.

She grabbed her clothes for today. A seamless, black sportsbra and matching panties with a blue sundress that was easy to take off. She wasn't gonna wear her usual, slightly more complicated outfit to go dress shopping. She also decided to go without her headdress today, since it was gonna be too much of a hassle to take it off and on anyway.

She didn't have water yet in her new apartment, so she'd have to go back to the barracks to shower and get Fives to go shopping. She wasn't sure if he'd enjoy it. She was fully aware of the stereotype about men not liking clothes shopping, but she never understood why that was. Anakin never liked it, but that was due to Padmé's expensive, elaborate and custom made dresses. They took hours to fit and Anakin wasn't the most patient person.

As she put her clothes for today in the speeder and drove towards the barracks, she was getting a little nervous about going dress shopping herself. Padmé knew she wouldn't like anything too elaborate, but this was Padmé.

Padmé would respect her choices, so she wasn't worried about that. But she had a tendency to get distracted by elaborate dresses, and this was going to be a bridal shop. It would be full of elaborate dresses.

When she arrived in the barracks, she headed straight to the commander's quarters.

She heard the shower running inside, but that didn't bother her. There was only one other person who had access to those quarters and she didn't have any issues with him seeing her naked, so she took off her battle dress and tights, as well as all other accessories, and grabbed the clothes she had taken from her new apartment and took them into the shower.

"Ahsoka?" Rex asked.

"No, actually this is Obi-Wan" she joked as she put her clothes in the sink to keep them dry.

"Very funny" he said as Ahsoka opened the shower door and slipped in to join him.

"So... Is there a reason you're here?" he asked, his eyes glancing down at her body.

"I'm going dress shopping today, so I need to be clean and to put on something that's easy to change in and out of."

"Ah... Okay. Is that all?" Rex asked, sounding disappointed.

"No, Sorry. I have to find Fives. I have to drag him along if he's gonna be my maid of honour. For advice and such"

"You can take me instead, and I'll behave better" he said.

She playfully threw a loofah at his chest.

"Very funny," she said "But you're not supposed to see me in my dress until the big day"

"I prefer to see you without it anyway" he said.

She playfully rolled his eyes at him and he grabbed the loofah from the ground before pulling her close and started scrubbing her.

* * *

Ahsoka ran through the barracks to find Fives. Rex, the idiot that he was, had distracted her and now she was running out of time to find the ARC Trooper and to get to the landing pad for Skyguy to pick them up.

She bumped into Dices.

"Easy, commander." the clone said.

"Have you seen Fives? I need to find him"

"In the mess hall, Sir"

"Thank you, trooper" she said as he saluted her.

She found Fives where Dices said he was, already in his civvies.

"Fives! There you are."

"Commander!" Fives said "I mean, Ahsoka. I was beginning to wonder where you were"

"Rex uhm... distracted me" she admitted.

Fives just rolled his eyes "Can't he wait until you two move out?"

"No, that will take months" she said. "Come on, let's go"

"Fine" he said "So how is this dress shopping going to go?"

"Well, we have to find dresses. I should get a white one and you should get one that'll match the theme"

"And what is this _theme_?"

"Well, we're probably just gonna use the 501st colour scheme"

"Ah, okay. So we can just show up in our armour?"

"Yes, the _guests_ can." she said "But you're maid of honour and your armour doesn't count as a dress."

"I know." Fives said. He didn't seem to be upset about the prospect at all, which was good in a way. She hadn't actually meant for him to take on this role, and if he wanted to back out she'd more than understand. But he had actually been a great help after the initial protest, so she wasn't going to complain.

"Are you sure about this?" Ahsoka asked "I was joking originally"

"Yes, absolutely. I'm honoured that you'd choose me, even if it started as a joke."

"Thank you," she said "If you want to wear something else you can though"

"We'll see" Fives said "I'm not sure yet. I'll probably prefer my armour to be honest"

"Okay, do whatever you want. But we're going shopping for my dress now. Padmé is here" she said, pointing up to where a speeder came racing to the platform.

"Does the senator usually drive like that?" Fives asked.

"No."

Before Fives could ask more questions, the speeder stopped and braked in front of them revealing that Anakin was driving.

Of course.

"Snips, Fives, jump in!" he said over Padmé, who was sitting in the passenger seat looking like she was mostly just tired of his speeder antics now.

When they walked over, they noticed the two infants strapped into a chair on the backseat.

Ahsoka squeezed herself in next to the baby seat behind Padmé while Fives squeezed into the backseat on the other side before Anakin sped off, probably breaking some traffic laws in the process.

"Do you have any ideas for what you want?" Padmé asked.

"Yeah, I just wanted something simple. Anything elaborate will just be overkill"

"Are you sure you don't want anything more elaborate?" Padmé asked "I mean, now is your chance to go crazy"

"Yes, I don't think I'll feel comfortable in a really big dress. I know it sounds weird, but I don't feel comfortable in something that could hinder me in a fight."

"I know the feeling, but that's why I usually have big elaborate dresses"

"Oh? Why is that?" Ahsoka asked while Leia squeezed the finger she'd offered her with a lot more strength than she had imagined such a small baby to be capable of.

"Multiple layers can work as protection against blasterbolts and other weapons. Pretty much anything can be stopped with enough layers, except maybe a lightsaber. But the Jedi aren't a threat to me" she said as she kissed Anakin on the cheek. 

After that, Padmé spend the rest of the time explaining her elaborate dresses and how they were designed with both fashion and security in mind.

* * *

When they arrived at the bridal shop, Fives felt really out of place.

"Yeah, me too" Anakin said, as if he as reading his thoughts. "Way too fancy and expensive"

Fives just nodded and made a mental note to shield better from now on.

"Can you hold Leia for me?" Skywalker asked.

"Of course, Sir"

"Just call me Anakin, we're friends and I'm not your General anymore anyway" he said as he handed Fives the baby.

"Okay" Fives said.

Senator Amidala, or Padmé as he should probably start calling her, had already dragged off Ahsoka to the rows of dresses.

"Do you think they'll agree on a dress?" Fives asked.

"Yeah, she'll eventually agree to what Ahsoka wants. But right now she's a little occupied with putting her in as many dresses as possible" Anakin said as he watched Padmé shove Ahsoka into the fitting room with a dress that looks way too big on her.

"Why are such big dresses popular anyway?" Fives asked.

Anakin just shrugged. "I can kind of see the appeal. You only get this chance to go overboard once, ideally speaking"

"True" Fives said "That's why we always live it up at 79's"

"You can go to 79's as often as you want while on leave"

"Yeah but you never know if this time will be your last"

"I know." Anakin said.

The fell silent as they watched Ahsoka pose in a ballgown that even Fives could tell was too complicated for her taste, but Padmé was enjoying it.

"How long do you think we'll be stuck here?" Fives asked.

"Not too long. Ahsoka won't be able to do this for long."

"She looks like she's fine. Are you sure she'll get tired of this soon?"

"Yeah, she's gonna switch to something more practical soon. I guarantee it."

* * *

As Ahsoka squeezed into the next dress Padmé had chosen for her, she started getting more and more tired of this. It was a mermaid dress, which basically meant that it was way to tight at the knees to properly walk in.

She waddled out of the dressing room. "This isn't working"

"You're right, a mermaid dress really doesn't work on you" Padmé said.

"No, I meant trying out all the dresses you want. They're all uncomfortable and there's too much lace. I don't like lace. It's irritating."

"Oh... I'm sorry, I didn't know. What fabrics do you like?"

"Cotton, denim, leather..."

"Those aren't wedding dress materials. What about silk?"

"I heard it's good against piercing damage" Ahsoka said.

"It is, but it's also really soft and shiny"

"Can't I just go for cotton? That's soft and it breathes pretty well"

"I don't know if have that, but I could have it custom made. I'll need to know what kind of dress you want though"

"Hmmmm... Let's see" Ahsoka said as she walked to the rows of dresses.

However, at her hers step the fabric pulled on her knees. "Hold on"

She disappeared into the changing room to get back to get the damned dress off.

After she changed back into her sundress, she immediately felt better. She walked to the rows of dresses and noticed that there were some that were really simple. According to the labels, these were A-line dresses, whatever that meant. It was probably the shape.

"These look nice" she said to Padmé.

"Do you see one you'd like to try on?" she asked, as she came closer.

"Yeah, this one" she said as she pointed to a simple dress with an open back and a V neck. It would tie in her neck with a ribbon. It was pure white, which Padmé had said rarely worked on human but it'd work for her since she had actual white skin. There was also a nice even bodice that would easily fit the Jaig eyes on it on her lower ribcage.

"Okay. You should try it on." Padmé encouraged.

"Alright," she said, as she took it off the rack. "It feels nice too"

Padmé smiled and helped her carry the dress to the changing room.

In the changing room, Ahsoka put on the dress and looked in the mirror. This dress looked right on her, and it also showed off her back muscles, which was a plus.

"I think this one would work" she said.

"Can you come out and show us?" Padmé asked.

"Yeah, sure" Ahsoka said as she stepped out from behind the curtain.

Padmé smiled "You're right, a simple dress looks better on you. It makes your markings stand out a lot better."

The guys had come to take a look as well and Fives gave her a thumbs up while holding the infant in one hand, but Anakin was starting to tear up.

"Anakin what's wrong?" Ahsoka asked.

"Nothing. It's just... You're so beautiful and I'm so happy for you" he got out before he practically threw himself in her arms, almost squishing Luke between them.

"Careful Skyguy," she said as she took Luke out of his arms and turned towards Padmé, who took the boy from her arms before hugging him back. "And thanks"

"Sorry for getting so emotional" he sniffled.

"It's okay" she said, patting his back gently.

"And this isn't even the full outfit." Padmé said "We still need to get you a veil"

* * *

When Ahsoka arrived back in the barracks with the dress in a bag to keep it clean. For the first time, she wasn't sneaking past the other clones to get to Rex.

She was trying to avoid Rex and get to Stitches, so he could do the embroidery without Rex seeing the dress. He'd probably respect her wishes to reveal the dress at the actual wedding, but he might get too excited if she ran into him now.

She reached Stitches quarters and knocked on the door. He opened the door and she got a glimpse of his quarters. They were messy, and full of sewing supplies.

"I got the dress. There's a nice flat spot around here" she said, as she put her hand between her chest and stomach."

"Okay thank you. I'll show you the first draft tomorrow before I get started on the full embroidery."

"Alright, thank you so much for doing this" she said.

"Of course, commander" Stitches said, smiling. "See you tomorrow"

She smiled at him "Bye"

She went back to her shared quarters, changed into her pajamas's and snuck into bed with Rex, who was already asleep.

She wrapped her arms around his middle and kissed his neck. In his sleep, he put his hands on hers and snuggled closer to her.

She drifted off immediately, exhausted from today.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I hope that wasn't too much into the whole "the men hate shopping" trope that I honestly kinda hate, but I don't think Anakin and Fives would be as enthusiastic as Padmé. And Obviously Ahsoka would be happy to go because it's her dress.

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave kudo’s and/or comment if you enjoyed it. Feedback really helps :)

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Captain Tano (NSFW parts)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21983995) by [TabbyWolf](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TabbyWolf/pseuds/TabbyWolf)




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